l68 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 small 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, Lf 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 {Alolothnis 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. Thinningoff 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. 



