SCOUTING FOR GIRLS 
419 
A KILLDEER FAMILY 
This plover is common in meadows, cultivated fields, and about ponds 
and lakes. It gets its name from its note. Range: North and South 
America. 
and the Song Sparrow. In this country, in the aggre- 
gate, these seed-eating birds destroy every year tons of 
seeds of noxious weeds, and are therefore valuable 
friends of the gardener and farmer. For more definite 
data see bulletins published by the U. S. Department 
of Agriculture, or “Useful Birds and Their Protec- 
tion/’ by Edward Howe Forbush (Massachusetts Board 
of Agriculture). 
Thousands of bushels of grain are eaten or spoiled 
by small mammals, such as mice, rats, and spermo- 
philes or gophers. To the relief of the farmer, many 
birds feed upon these destructive little rodents. The 
Crow occasionally captures a mouse, while the Shrikes 
or Butcher-birds catch a great many. The Screech Owl 
feeds largely upon mice. The Red-tailed Hawk is 
called the Hen-hawk or Chicken-hawk by most farmers. 
