BIRDS EAT WEED SEEDS 



549 



from 50 to 70 cutworms and earthworms in one day. Many 

 observations of the feeding of young birds by their parents indicate 

 that birds eat a large amount of food in proportion to their size 

 and consequently destroy vast numbers of injurious insects. 

 Some idea of the amount of food eaten may be had from the data 

 given by Professor Hodge. He says a pair of house wrens, very 

 tiny birds, were observed to feed their five nestlings 230 insects, 

 mostly large cabbage caterpillars, in one day. A young robin 

 three weeks old ate 70 cutworms in one day ; a young tanager, 150 

 cutworms in a day besides other food ; and a young phoebe just 

 out of the nest, as many as 200 good-sized grasshoppers in a day. 

 Without the birds the farmer would have a hopeless fight 

 against insect pests. The effect of killing native birds in great 

 numbers is now well seen in Italy and Japan, where insects have 

 increased and do great damage to crops and trees. 



Practical Exercise 27. List the names of all birds that you know. Make a 

 table for your workbook, giving the harm and value to man of each bird. 



Birds eat weed seeds. Not only do birds aid man in his battles 

 with destructive insects, but nearly 300 species of birds eat the 

 seeds of weeds 

 also. Our native 

 sparrows (not the 

 English sparrow), 

 the mourning 

 dove, bobwhite, 

 rose-breasted 

 grosbeak, horned 

 lark, crow black- 

 bird, and other 

 birds feed largely 

 upon the seeds of 

 many of our com- 

 mon weeds. An 

 examination of 

 the stomachs of a 

 number of these 



H. BIO — 36 



Wright Pierct 

 What is the economic importance of the owl ? 



