CONSERVATION OF BIRDS 595 



example of the improvidence of our fellow-countrymen. It was 

 killed during its breeding season; and for every egret killed, an 

 entire bird family was blotted out of existence. Prairie chickens are 

 now unknown in many states where they were abundant before 1900. 

 The same thing will happen to the quail where it is unprotected. 



Hawks, owls, shrikes, crows, and jays all play a small part in the 

 destruction of our native birds. The English sparrow has done 

 great harm in driving away useful birds. Squirrels and particu- 

 larly rats are very destructive of eggs and young birds. Small 

 boys with air guns, and persons who kill for food, are responsible 

 for the death of many birds. But according to Forbush, the house 

 cat is the worst enemy of our feathered friends. He estimated 

 from many observations that the average pet cat kills at least 

 50 birds a year. 



Home conservation methods. Nesting boxes can be easily 

 made and are a great asset for a home. Birds are cheerful and 

 colorful as well as useful neighbors. Wrens are often attracted to 

 boxes having small holes not larger than one and one eighth inches 

 in diameter. The boxes should be placed so that cats cannot 

 get access to them. During the winter birds may be kept around 

 the home by feeding. Suet baskets and nuts put on shelves in 

 trees and inaccessible to cats are the best means of providing food. 

 Bird baths also are means of attracting birds. 



Bird migrations in relation to conservation. It has long been 

 known that certain birds breed in the far north and spend the 

 winter in the tropics. The golden plover is a notable example, 

 for it nests in the Arctic and winters in southern South America, 

 making a yearly round trip of more than 16,000 miles, while the 

 arctic tern may make a round trip of 22,000 miles in one year. 

 Wild ducks and geese are examples of game birds that make these 

 pilgrimages each year. The bobolink migrates from the northern 

 part of our country to a tropical part of South America. It is 

 largely due to this migratory instinct that many of our birds have 

 been subject to slaughter by hunters. Many states have laws 

 which allow the killing of small "bags" of ducks and other game 

 birds, but do not sufficiently protect migrating birds. It has been 

 estimated that 5,000,000 hunters go out every season for birds or 



