SOME OHIO BIRDS 
5 
It is very destructive to strawberries, grass lands, cereal crops, and 
root crops; in fact, no plant is safe against its attacks. It is for this 
grub that the despised Blackbird or Bronzed Grackle is looking, 
when walking in the freshly turned furrow. Several species of birds 
feed upon either the larvae or the adults, or both. The Colorado 
potato beetle exacts a heavy toll from the potato growers each season. 
But few birds eat this pest, the most important being the Rose¬ 
breasted Grosbeak, Night Hawk, and Bob-white, all of which destroy 
them in larger or smaller numbers. Chinch bugs, army worms, 
wire worms, grasshoppers, and crickets are all more or less 
destructive to grass and to cereal crops, and are included in the diet 
of birds feeding among these crops. Crows, some of the Hawks, 
the Blackbirds, Finches and Sparrows, Doves, Bob-whites, and some 
of the Plovers and Sandpipers are essentially birds of the field; 
some resort thither to feed, while others both feed and nest ingrain 
and grass lands. 
In Orchard. There is no well defined line of distinction be¬ 
tween birds of the field and those of the orchard, or between these 
and the woodland dwellers. Certain families may be represented in 
one or all of these three groups. Certain species are never found 
except in woodland while others occur in open fields only. 
The more important among injurious insects of the orchard are 
plant lice, caterpillars, codling worms, bark and wood-boring beetles 
and scale insects. The beginner in fruit growing soon learns to 
know these forms through the opposition they offer to the success¬ 
ful culture of fruit. Some species among the Thrushes, Warblers, 
Vireos, Finches, Sparrows, Fly-catchers and Woodpeckers consti¬ 
tute a principal check on insect life in orchard and garden. So in¬ 
separable has the association become between the Robin, Bluebird, 
Chippy and Wren with the orchard and garden, that the mention of 
the one brings the memory of the other. 
Of the Woodland. Many insects are to be found in or on our 
native trees, but comparatively few of them are of great economic 
importance. Among the most destructive are some of the saw-flies, 
bark-beetles, bark or wood borers, caterpillars, plant lice and a few 
of the scale insects. Any of these insects may become a menace to 
native trees or shrubs, used as ornamentals. 
Man may be able to control insect life in garden and field by 
spraying, fall ploughing and subjecting the land to freezing, by 
rotation of crops, and in various other ways; or, by spraying, fumi¬ 
gating, and similar methods he may hold in check the insect enemies 
of orchard, park and shade trees. Our forests are, however, in the 
main, dependent upon natural means of protection against injurious 
