132 



THE FOOD OF BIRDS. 

 By Eev. F. 0. Morris. 



( Continued from vol. 2.) 



Then the Cuckoo, guided by instinct, lays her egg, almost always in 

 the nest of a more especially insectivorous bird; and these, when providing 

 for the wants of their suppositious fondlings, eschew the seed they would 

 themselves at other times partake of. Even a Canary, whose food supplies a 

 not unimportant place in the traffic of the country, fed a young cuckoo 

 with caterpillars placed in her cage for the purpose, instead of the seed 

 which derives its very name from herself. 



So much for the exceptions ; now ad rem. 



I allow, I say, that beyond the admitted amount of injury that birds 

 do to our crops and garden fruits, they would do us similar harm all the year 

 round if they had the opportunity, except for their young, duriug the 

 breeding season. I need go no farther than my own door for proof of this. 



When I look out of my dining room window on coming down to break- 

 fast in the morning, in the winter, I see a redbreast whose owner and 

 wearer is waiting for me in the privet bush which stands about three yards 

 off. In hard weather I have some crumbs ready saved from the night 

 before for him and other birds of different kinds, which he and they share ; 

 but, otherwise I let them wait till after breakfast. As soon as I open the 

 the door and call him by name he is down within a foot or two of me, and 

 seems to take as a right the " dole of bread" which I have ready for him. 



But, why does he do so ? The very flower-bush from which he has just 

 flown, is thickly covered with glossy black-berries, on which bullfinches and 

 other sorts of birds are only too glad to feed, when " over the "Wold the 

 wind blows cold," and " Gaffer Winter" has thrown his white mantle over all 

 about us. Why does he not eat these berries % For the best of all possible 

 reason — because he prefers good wheaten bread when he can get it. So 

 would every species of bird, every finch, and bunting in this country, if 

 they had the chance. 



But thoiy have not the chance. For nearly eleven months in the year, 

 they are obliged to forage in some other way, whatever their natural choice 



