168 PROTECT OUR BIRDS. 
PROTECT OUR BIRDS. 
BY HENRY HALES, RIDGEWOOD, NEW JERSEY. 
To say that birds have many enemies, is to give but a faint 
idea of their struggle for existence. As soon as the first egg 
is deposited in the nest by the parent, however well con- 
cealed, it is a cause of anxiety to her who knows the prize is 
coveted by many a heartless marauder. Crows, Jays and 
Crow Blackbirds, besides many smal] mammals and snakes, 
are constantly on the watch to consume these frail caskets 
of life-germs. The uninitiated are in blissful ignorance of 
the great destruction often wrought between the finished 
nest and the fledgelings. The defenceless species, including 
all our song-birds, if not prolific breeders, would soon become 
extinct. It is well to remember the. worst enemies of birds, 
and to discriminate between them. One of the most de- 
structive is the red squirrel. The Cow-bird (AZolothrus ater) 
commits havoc among the sweetest songsters, such as Vireos 
and Warblers. Man is either the greatest protector or the 
greatest destroyer of birds. Especially is this true since 
the invention of the gun and the mowing-machine. Dense 
populations are not necessarily destroyers of song-birds ; the 
old world shows notable examples of this. The national 
character may be cultivated to love of, or indifference to, the 
charms of its feathered residents. Thinning off their natural 
enemies, giving them food in winter, securing them suitable 
nesting-places, and abstaining from acts of violence, greatly 
assist in endearing them and promoting their multiplicity. 
