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Un dee symboies sulvsnts apparaftra sur la dernidre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbols — ► signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbols ▼ signifie "FIN". Maps, plates, charts, etc., mey be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams Illustrate the method: Les cartes, planch«$s, tableaux, etc., peuvent Atre filmAs A des taux de reduction diffArents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clichA. il est filmA d partir de i'angle supArieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images nAcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mAthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 ' .^'■'•' '. ■ "l. '! ' ~ . .-'Ti^^Ti^^'irfW'fl^'TP'F"'" W^mmmmi^^mm 598.2 nn.ifr THE BIRDS OF ONTARIO m RELATION TO AGRICULTURE By CHARLES W. NASH, Toronto DKPARTMCNT Or AOIIieULTUNE, TOUelrTO THE BIRDS OF ONTARIO IX RRLATION TO AGRICULTURE M\- CIIARLKS W. NASH, TORONTO. ^PUBLISHED BY THE ONTARIO DEPARTMEffT OF AORIGULTURE, TORONTO.) TORONTO: WARWICK BRO'S & RUTTKR, Printkrh and Bookbinders, 68 ano 70 Front St. Wkst 1898. REPRINTED FROM THE REPORT OF THE FARMERS' INSTITUTES OF ONTARIO. 1897-8. • • r • • - • » m • • • • • • • ■ ",• , < • - • .« • •• • • • • . ' «•• • ••• • • '• ' •• t • * •• • • • . . • • • < ^ • • • [2] THE BIRDS OF ONTARIO IN' ri:latiox to a(;riculture. Bv Chaki.es W. Nash, Toronto, Ont. The aj^riculturist in the Province of Ontario lias annunlly to suffer ffrcat loss t'rotn the dijpredations af two classes of enemies, both individually insioniticant, but, by reason of their numbers, veiy formidable. These are insects and siiiidl rodents, chief among the latter beintj rats and all the animals usually classed as mice. It is \'erv difficult to make anything like a correct estimate of the average damage inflicted upon the farmer by these little animals, but every man engaged in farming knows by sad experience that he continually suffeis from their work. The enormous amount of grain they destroy, and the young trees girdled and killed bj' them are visible to everyone ; but the creatures themselves, owing tf> their nocturnal habits and secretive lives, are comparatively seldom seen. Their enormous increase and consequent capacity for serious mischief is, of course, owing to the fact that man has interfered seriously with the balance of nature, and has thoughtlessly, perhaps, desttoyed the principal natural enemies of these creatures. Man himself is almost powerless to stop their ravages to any very great extent. The constant exercise of his ingenuity in trapping, and so forth, results in very little and occupies his time to no purpose. The natural enemies of these animals are gifted with special faculties for their destruction, and so are able to cope witli them. Chief among the enemies of this class of farm pests, and the only ones we shall consider now, are the birds of prey. These birds are wonderfully provided by nature with the means to fulfil their part in maintaining the correct balance between the small rodents and the vegetable kingdom. They are in a maimer nature's police, and if not destroyed by man would so keep down the numbers of these small four-footed thieves that their plundering would be scarcely noticealtle. Our birds of prey may be roughly divided into two classes, the hawks and the owls, the first feeding by day and the other by night. Of the eagles we need say but little. They are now so rarely found in the civilized districts that their influ- ence for good or ill is practically nothing, except upon the game, and of that no doubt.^they destroy a large (juantity. HAWKS. Of the hawks there are eleven species, occurring regularly in this Province in greater or less abundance every season. These are the Marsh Hawk, Sharp- shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Goshawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Broad winged Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, Duck Hawk, Pigeon Hawk [3] 59397 4 and Sparrow Hawk : there arc two or tlireo others, hut they are only occaHional visitoi'H. Ot" tlicse eleven, tlie Shai'[)-shinne(l Hawk, (^'ooper's Hawk, (ioshawk, Duck Hawk ami l*i;;'eon Hawk are lhn at once, as all cur benedcial hawks migrate .southward when cold weather sets in. From the above species, all of which are undoubtedly injurious to the inter- ests of the agriculturist by reason of the destruction they work in the pcniltry yard, and amongst our insectivorous wild birds, we turn to tin; remaining six species of the liawks frequenting this Province, every one of wdiich spends the greater part of its time and devotes its enei'gies to work the destruction of the animals and insects which are known to be amongst the greatest pests the farmer has to contend with; these are the Marsh Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Broad-winged Hawd<, Rough-legged Hawk and Sparrow Hawk. Nearly e\'eryone know^s the Marsh Hawk and has seen it gracefully skim- jning over the low meadows, occasionally hanging poised over one spot for a second or two, and then dropping down into the long grass ; this drop generally means the death of a meadow mou.se, .sometimes, but moi-e rarely, a Irog ; of these two creatures its food principally consists, and the number of meadow mice destroyed by each of these birds in a season must be something enormous. As many as eight have been found in the stomach of one of these hawks, and four or five quite fre(|uently. The hawk's digestion is very rapid, and their hunting .and feeding is continued with but few intermissions from davlight until dark. 5 ocoaHionul (iosliawk, aids upon ' to citluT \' is ^'ivcii. Inch most k(.' up tor that tliey kens tlu'V Ih'<| in the 1 priiiei])al iwk trihe, \\v species 3avvk and the farms, hy water ?e for pi' in the marshes, hut it is doulitful if it ever kills i\>v itself a bird of any kind, at any rate in this Province. Every farmer an'ood they do, and thou.sands are killed evei'v autumn by misehievious ])eople who must shoot at evfrythintj they set^ that has life in it. If peoph' who wantonly shoot hawks would sometimes look at the stomach contents of tlie birds they kill they would .soon be con\inced of the wrony they were doiiifj and would perhaps exercise sufficient connnon sen.se to refi-ain from con- tinuing the evil practice. For the sake of brevity the Red-tailed Hawk. Red-shouldered Hawk, and Broad-winged Hawk may b-i considered together. These three common species are usually known as " Hen Hawks." Why however, it would be difficult to say. They are all fairly lai'ge, slow, heavy flying birds, who.se food consists principally of nnce, s(|uiiTels, toads, frogs and snakes: very rarely do they ever take a bird of any kind. In fact it would he extremely difficult for them to do .so, uidess the bird was very young, or injured seriously. They will, when pressed by hunger, feed on cari'ion. but the sta])le article of diet with them is meadow mice and s'(|uirrels, varied, as before .stated, by toads, frogs and snakes, I )esides grasshoppers and other in.sects. I have specially omitted from this group, to which it i-eally belongs, the Rough-legged Hawk. Tiiis is done purpo.seiy, becau.se the great value of the species to the farmer slunild be particularly pointed out, the bird having Iteen most unjustly persecuted. It is the largest of the Canadian hawks, and one that desorv(!S the greatest consideration and protection from every man having an interest in agriculture. It can be safely said that tliis .so-called " Hen-Hawk " has never killed a head of poultry at any time, nor do they evei- kill birds of any sort. Diu'ing the fall of 1895 these hawks were very abundant in scmthern Ontario and laige niunbers were killere, .so far as I could learn, and I made enijuiries from poultry keepers wherever I could. In all, 32 specimens were examined by me, anr. Mei'riaiii tiiid Dr. KiHluT, two of the l('ii\vl and the Hawk Owl I think entirely so — while the Great Horned Owl seems to be almost as active on dull days as at night ; and whether the day h> .right or dull liiese birds can always see well enough to take care of Lhem.selves and keep on; of the range of a gun. In th . ..tivated portions of the Province of Ontario we have five species of owls that may be treated here as residents. Thi y are not strictly so, as there is ,i certain migratory movement amongst them, caused probably by the failure or abundance of their food supply, which may cause them to either leave certain districts for a time or gather there in lai-ger numbers than usual. Many instances are on record of plagues of mice having been stayed and the trouble removed by the arrival on the infested spot of large numbers of owls ; these birds rapidly killed off' the mice and then scattered again. Our resident species are the Great-Horned Owl, Long-eared Owl, Short-eared Owl, Barred Owl and Screech Owl. T/ie Great Horned Owl, or "Cat Owl," as it is often called, is the only one I have ever know to attack poultry, and it can work havoc amongst them if they are left out to roost in unprotected places. The destruction of this owl is cer- tainly justifiable and neces.sary where it has taken up its quarters in a locality in which poultry is kept. It also captures great quantities of our favorite game birds, more particularly Ruffed Grouse, many a brood of which goes to .satisfy the hunger of the Horned Owl's family, and are so lost to the sportsman. But as .jigainst the charge of poultry and game killing which has been proven against it, this owl has .some redeeming qualities. It kills great numbers of rats, mice, acjuirrels and other rodents that are injurious to farmers, and strange to say it seems to be a determined enemy to the skunk. Numbers of cases have been cited in which the flesh and hair of this animal have been found in the .stomachs of the.se owls, more particularly in the spring, and I know that fully one-half of the bodies of these birds that I have handled, \ -ere well perfumed with the odor of skunk — in many cases so much so, that I have had to throw away many fine .specimens the smell being (|uite unbearable. Possibly these birds are fond of strong odor, for those whose feathers are not scented with skunk perfumery, have generally a strong odor of muskrat, the flesh of which they aKso appreciate. I have frecfuently known them to hunt and kill these rats in the spring, during .^ tl)c day time when they were about the l>ank.s of tht; creeks, driven there by the liigli water ot" our usual spring freshet. These owls are very powerful l)irds, usually killing; for themselves all the food they eat, and only resortin<>^ to carrion in the direst, extremity of hun<;er. Turkeys and e, to be replaced after a shoi't interval by another lot. The great bulk of them leave this Province by midwinter, or before if the snow should become deep, their movement tovvariiiaU birds thus destroyed are of the givatest value to an agricultural connnunity an- ludf-yrown ehiekeiis. The noi.sy little Screech Owl, that may in soini' winters be found in half the barns in the country, is well known to every one. and should be ])i-otected by every farmer. It watches the granaiy, the barnyard and the garden, and is the most indefatigable mou.ser we have. It seems not only to kill mice for its immediate wants but also for the pleasure of hunting them. If the roosting place of one of thest' l)irds is examined after the bird has u.sed it foi' a short time, mimbers of dead mict' will lie found, most of them untouched after Ix'ini; killed !ind deposited there : probably th(y lay u\) this store in order to pi-o\ ide against nights o\' scarcity, but in nearly all cases it will be found that they are well ahead ol' any danger of famine. Not only does this little owl rid the couiitiy of num- berless mice but in towns and cities it does useful work in kee])ing the conunon Hou.se Sparrow within propel' limits. During the winter particularly, it may often be seen huntinu' about veiandahs, under eaves and amoni*' the Virijiniji ci'eeper growing around dwi'Uing houses, for the spai'rows that roost theie, and it will go regularly ovei' ihe .same beat night after night, until the acei'ssible spar- rows are thiiiiied down, so that it tinwls every winter. Here the birds fi-ed upon the common house rats which ari' altogether too abundant at this .spot. As evi-ry owl of any kind that visits the place is at once shot the rats, having it all their own way. are increasing r-ijiidly. The H;iwk Owl hunts by day on the prairies of the Northwest, ;ind where it occurs in sufficient nund)ers it must do much good by the destruction of meadow mice. Its visits to us are so rare, however, that it need not be consideri'd here. llichiudsons Owl and the Saw-whet Owl are two little owls that destroy muny mice . nd noxious in.sects, but are too rare to need furtlu^r mention. 10 of the ten species of owls before mentioned, nine of them are among the best of tilt' fanner's friends, watching and working when he is sleeping. In following- out the natural law which governs their lives they greatly help to keep in check that vast army of little animals which, if allowed to increase unrestrained by their natural enemies, would in a few seasons destroy all vegetation on the face of the earth. The chief and most effective check upon the undue increase of this army of rats, mice, etc., are the birds of prey. These birds are endowed with natural faculties specially adapted for the work they do, ami they do it well, the only trouble is that we have too few of them. If, however, public opinion can be brought to bear on this important matter before it is too late, and the wanton and useless destruction of our beneficial hawks and owls stopped at once, the balance of nature may be restored, to the great advantage of mankind. The following shows the result of Dr. Fisher's investigation of the food habits of the owls as reported to the Department of Agriculture at Washington. Great Horned Old. 127 stomachs examined : 81 contained potiltry or game bij'ds: 8, other birds: 18, mice : 65, other niammals ; 1, insects, etc. : 1, fish, and 17 were empty. This shows that althought the birds does some injury by its raids upon game and jKJultry, yet its evil propensities are somewhat counterbalanced by its destruc- tioii of mice, rats, rabbits and other small mammals. It is the only one of the owls about whose record for good there can be any doubt. All the others should be protected, while this one should certainly be killed off" if it takes to visiting the barnyard. LoiHj-earcd ChrL 107 stomachs examined: 1 contained a game bird: 15, other birds: 84 contained mice; 5, other mammals: 1, insects, and 15 were empty. Short eared OivL 101 .stomachs examined: 11 contained small birds; 77 contained mice ; 7, other nmmmals: 7, in.sects, and 14 were empty. My own experience shows a larger proportion of small birds than the above. Burred Owl. 109 stomachs examined . 5 contained poultry or game birds : 13, other birds: 4G, mice : 18, other mammals : IG, frogs, lizards, etc. : 16, insects; etc., and 20 were empty. Screech Ot'l. 254 stomachs examined : 1 contained the remains of a pigeon 38, other birds : 91, mice : 11, other small mammals ; 25, frogs, lizards, etc. ; 107 insects, etc., and 43 were empty. The above examinations of the stomachs of our resident species show most positively that, with the exception of the (}reat-horned Owl, the whole famil} are of the greatest value to the fanner. My own experience, both in Manitoba and Ontario, corroborates this, and is perhaps a little more favorable to the owls, for (always excepting the ( Jreat-horned Owl) I have never found a trace of a game bird or doin<'stic fowl in anv of them. CHOWS, BLACKBIRDS, ORIOLES, ETC. In this chapter I will deal with two families of birds, both of which are cliari'ed with licing amou'jst the worst of the feathered enemies of the farmer. The mi.schief they do is plainly visible : the good not always seen. When the crow visits the corn field in the s])ring, and is seen digging into the hills, abstract- ing the half-sprouted grain, and when the blackbinls in clouds alight on the !^l ■ 11 niong- the best 111 following- keep in check restrained by I on the face lerease of this ndowed with lo it well, the pinion can be e wanton and ', the balance tic food habits "ton. iltrv or tjaiiie : 1, fish, and Js upon game y its destruc- iy one of the jthers should 3 visiting the le bird : 1 5, were empty. I birds ; 77 y. My own Ijame birds : : 16, insects; of a pigeon Is, etc. ; 107 s show most e family are unitoba and le owls, for ;e of a game if which are the farmer. When the Is, abstract- ght on the ripe wheat and oats, eating much and threshing out more, so that it is lost to its lawful owner, it is not to be wondered at that the farmer loses his temper and -says in his wrath that all birds are a nuisance : but these birds also do some good, though, as they have not acquired the knack of advertising it, their benefits are <|uite overlooked. If their case is tried impartially it may be found that even the Crow, like another celebrated personage, is not quite " so black as he is painted." I do not think the merits of the crows, or any of the so-called blackbird family, will be found .sufficiently great to entitle them to protection, but their faults scarcely warrant their extermination, except in the case of the cow-bird, to be jspoken of hereafter. Croiv. Twenty-five years ago the Crows of the Province of Ontario were as regularly migratory as the Robins. A few occasionally stayed through the winter with us, and their doing so was considered a sign that we would have a mild season. As the land has been brought under cultivation, and more particularly in neighborhoods where market-gardening is carried on extensively, the number remaining through the winter has steadily increased, so that the species may now be ci>nsidered a resident one. In the vicinity of Toronto vast fiocks gather at the close of the autumn, feeding on the refuse vegetables left in the market gardens outside the city, and resorting at night to some of the pine woods still left stand- ing. In these they roost all through the winter. They may sometimes be pinched by hunger, but, unless the snow becomes too deep, they can generally get at the piles of manure drawn out on the market gardens, and other refuge left about the land. At this time they do no harm, and probably a little good, as they pick up many mice and insects in their foraging, but when spring opens they again scatter over the country and seek their nesting places. Seeding operations are now going on, and the first of the C'rowV mischievous propensities asserts itself as .soon as the grain has absorbed sutticient moisture from the ground to become soft 4ind has slightly sprouted : then it becomes a favorite morsel for the crows. Corn is preferred to any other grain. I have rarely found any ([uantity of any other grain in the stomach of a Crow, and even when the birds have been seen feeding jimong the hills of sprouting corn and have been shot right on the spot, I have always found the stomach contained (|uite as large an amount of insect remains as of corn, the cut-worm forming one of the Crow's choicest articles of diet, and tlu; (juestion ai'ises as t(j whether it is not better to let the Crow have a little corn and get rid of the cut-worm, than to let the cut-worm take ott'a lot of corn if we get rid of the crow. Later on I will say something about the history of this same cut-worm. It is always wisest " of two evils to choose the least," and it must be conceded that the corn-eating propensity of the crow is an evil ; but it is certainly less than the evil done by the cut-worm. So perhaps, so far as the Crow's case goes lu^i'e, it would be as well to call the balance even and give the Crow the benefit of it. Th(^ next scene in the Crow's proceedings shows him with a lively and decidedly hungry family of four or five little ones, whose cravings demand con- stant attention from their parents : the variety of food supplied to these insatiable youngsters will vary somewhat according to the locality in which they are placed ; in any case, no more grain will be taken by the parent birds: their food now will consist entirely of insects, mice and the young of other birds. Nor will they stop at the young if they can catch an adult small bird. Sometimes they will try to elude the viligance of an old hen and will snatch up her chickens more adroitly than any hawk : ducklings fall easy victims to their cunning. It is at this season they flo the greatest amount of mischief, by destroying the nests and young of more valuable birds, particularly of such as nest upon the ground. For this 12 reiisoii cliicHy (,'rows sliouM be kept within proper liinits as to munbers. Of late years tliey have increased alto<;etlier too fast, and our small birds have suffere-etlier in tliem over the y<'ars, and we- ily 1)0 reduced ting time thvy I'd in the trees umbers would would not ])e »es that even my danger of of that' class ;se the (Jreat- vvill kill the lights, and so s of the Pro- ^he pioneer it tims to this of game, but conspicuous, s this should that neither This bii'sary that they should be destroyed when they take up their residence about our gardens, for it is thei'e, and in our cultivated fields, that our insectivorous birds do the most good, and to get them there we must give them as much protection as possible from their natural enemies, and leaeh them that they are in greater safety near our dwellings than they would be in the woods. Birds of all kinds soon lose their fear of man if unmolested by him, and particularly if they find that in his innne'e amount of grain. A few pass through this Province in the spring on their way to the north to breed, but they make no delay and are not noticeable. Red-xuingcd Blackbird. From an agricultural standpoint this bird has little to recommend it, but to the lover of nature its beautiful coloring and cheery note in early spring render it an object of interest. They are among our earliest migrants, arriving about the middK' of March, and resorting at once to th(? marshes, in which they remain until after the young are able to Hy. While in the swamps their food consists almost entirely of aquatic insects, of which the larvae of the dragon flies form the principal '^"rt. As these larvae form an import- ant item in the food of some of our most valuable fish, and the mature dragoit flies feed largely on mosipiitos and other small winged insects, the blackbirds are not doing mankind a particularly friendly service by destroying them. This would perhaps not be worth sufficient consideration to warrant our interference with the birds, were it not for their other and more serious failing. As soon as the young are able to Hy strongly, which is about the middle of July, they leave the mar-shes in which thev were bred, and in greatflocksresortto the grain fields, where, like the grackle, with which they frequently associate, they do much damage, particularly to oats, which they seem to prefer to any other grain. As these birds are very abun<1ant, the loss caused by their plundering must be very great, but they can fortunately easily be managed if a little attention is paid to them in the spring, when they may be shot off on their breeding grounds. After the grain is carried, they again return to the marshes and gorge them- selves on the wild rice, until not a grain of it is left, thereby depriving the wild ducks, etc., of a most attractive food. As soon as the first frost comes they retire to the south, where they cause much worry to the rice-grower. Little can be said in extenuation of these serious faults. They never interfere with other birds or their ne le grain fields, hey do much ;r grain. A.s nust be very on is paid to unds. !_gorge theiii- ing the wild 3s they retire e can be said ther birds or i cut worms, part of the ;rous, glossy ck. Length 1 be known ■s. It is the termination, ■ing of each f one of our the sea.son incipally on the grain it •it for them- other small ts. I have inches, and warblers that brecvl in the Province. After the egg of the Cow bird is deposited, the female takes no further interest in the matter, but leaves it to be hatched by the real owner of the nest in which it has been placed ; in due time the young- will apjtear and then the trouble arises, in a few days the young Cow bird has far outgrown its fellow nestlings, in size, strength and voracity, so that it r<'((uires and manages to get all the food the parent birds bring to the nest, tin- result bt^ing that the proper occupants of the nest are either starved to death or crowded out l)y the interloper, who from that time until it is full grown taxes to the utmost all the energies of its foster parents to supply its voracious aj)petitt'' Nothing can be more pitiable than the plight of a pair of small birds upon whom one of tliese parasites has been foistc.'d. They are forced to raise an Ufrly foundlino- instead of their own young, and then by reasori of the long continued lielplessness of their foste)- child, they arc prevented fx'om raising a second brood: for although it (]uickly grows large and strong enough to crowd out its fellow nestlings and its body develops rapidly, .so that it can leave the nest and follow its foster parents through the trees, yet its energy does not develop proportionately with its body, and it re(pnres to be fed for a longer period than the young of any oth«'r small bird. The di'struction of the natural enemies of this bird, and the con- stantly enlai'ging area of cultivated land, both operate favorably for the increase of this pest, .so that of late years it has become altogether too abundant, Last year (18!)7) in the southern part of Ontario it swarmed everywhere, and J noticed an egg of this lard's in quite half the nes*^s of other small species that J chanced to find ; of course, in every case I took it out and [)r()mptiy smashed it, thereby saxing the proper brood. It is to the increase of these creatures that I attribute^ almost wholly the decrea.se which has become so noticeable in our more useful species. Some idea may be obtained of the teriible destruction worked among the valuable species by CJow birds byjustnoticingtheimmeu.se flocks of them that occur here in the autumn, and remembering that for everyone of tho.se Cow bn'ds, a brood of some other species has perished. Most of our insectivorous birds produce an average of about four yoinig to a brood, and some of them would raise two broods in a season ; the deposit of an egg by the Cow bird in a nest prevents the i-aising of any young at all of its own by the bird victimized. Just bow many eggs each Cow bird lays each season is rather uncertain ; in all probability four or five are deposited. If that is so, every female ( -ow bird that arrives here in the spring and is allowed to follow her o^n method of reproduc- tion, causes the loss of from fifteen to twenty-five of the young of our most valuable birds. In view of the great increase that has taken place in the num- bers of this bird of late years, it is not to be wondered at that our other nati\ e species are decreasing, and we should take steps at once to regulate matters. Every person on finding a nest of any of our small birds should look over thc^ eggs contained in it, and if one is found therein differing from the others and corresponding to the description of the egg of the Cow bird which I have alread^\- given, that egg should be taken out and destroyed. School teachers throughout the country would ilo well to impress this upon their pupils. Shooting the females in early spring is perhaps the most satisfactory way of keeping down the number of this most undesirable bird, and I strongly urge everyone who has access to a gun to use it for this purpose, about his own prem- ises ; for, as I have already pointed out, every Cow bird killed at this season means the salvation of much valuable bird life and a corresponding lessening of our in.sect pects. Boholivk.'^i One of the most ^miliar sounds of sunnner in the country is the merry rollicking .song of the Bobolink, to be heard at all times in the fields of scent-laden clover ; its bubbling notes, poured out in the exuberance of its spirits, sfciii t(» express tliL' t't'olin;;' (»l joy that [)ei'V!id«'s nil iijiturt' i'l .liuu,'. The hiiuls arrive here ulunit tlie iiiiildle ol" May, tlie iiiaU's coiuini]lars are very abiuuhmt, anef| 17 i»'. Tlu; l.inls lays Iti-forc tlic ■re tluoucrli the ) cut. Wliilst Lt('rpillai',s that 'il'iiiidaiit, und, ions injury, so , tlu' Bobolink 111. After the 'Conie like the ey then asso- and the seeds e to the south )f doin^' con- Iiink that the the principal •t'thi' damage. tuimtel}', not ind wheiexer ijse and slow numbers are iiluable bird departure in lino- entirely s work beino- which he is and should lit we can at event others 1^ the early 11 our insect worms, etc.. only eniero-e faculty the H, and beino- ible to drao- ed prior to some few principally these birds Us to know I'etable diet, cably oood liieHy but>s s and tiu! the ground, 1 l>y Crows, are sul)ject ^■, that our udesH .some lidltmiove Oriole. The tlolden Robin, Fire Bird or Han<^-nest, as this bird is Mometinu'S called, is of more importance to the fruit (grower than the tjrain farniei'. as it }^l(!ans its food entirely am(m'ril- liant coloring of the male, his Hute like note, and the ingenuity di.splayed in the construction of the nest, all commend these birds to the lover of nature, and we could well .spare a few cherries for the sake of having thein about our gardens, <»ven if their usefulness was less pronounced than it is. In the south-we.stern pcjrtions of our Province the Orchard Ori( le occurs. It ditiers from the Baltimore in being smaller and in color being chestnut and black, instead of the orange and bUick which n)arks the pres(mt species. Its habits are much the same as those of the familiar Baltimore, but it is too lure to have any economic value. WOODPECKERS, NUTHATCHES, TITMICE, ETC. The various species which constitute the.se families have been grouped together, becau.se of certain .similarities in their habits, although structurally they differ widely. They are all ti'ee climbers, and obtain the greatest part of their food from the trunks of trees, some of them ])y laboriously digging out the grubs which bore into tlie solid wood, others by piying into every crack and crevice of till.' bark, where they find insects in various stages of development. Of the Woodpeckers we have in Ontario nine species, namely, the Pileated Woodpecker (better known as the " Cock oi the Woods "), the Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker, the American Three-toed Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Woodpecker, Golden- winged Woodpecker, Reddieaded Woodpecker, and Red-bellied Woodpecker. The Krst three are true birds of the forest, very seldom showing themselves in the neighborhood of cultivation, .so that, although their services are of great value to the country, by rea.son of the constant "war they carry on against the borers, which are .so injurious to our tiinlier, we need not consider them in this paper. The Hairy Woodpecker and the Downy Woodpecker are two species that almost exactly resemble each other both in habits and appearance, the only material difference being in their size, the Hairy Woodpecker measuring about nine inches in length, the Downy about .six inches. Their food, which consists almost entirely of insects, is 2 IS f)btaint'(l either l»y (lij,fgiii<; the grubs out of the wood, or picking; tht-ni out of thf crevices of the baric in vvliieh tlicy hide duriii' holes in them to obtain a flow of sap, which they are said to drink. Tliis is a mistake. The ])ird havin^^ the sap-suckine; habit is the Yellow-bellied Woodpecker, an entirely diHerent specii's, of which 1 shall s])eak presently. Nature has most perfectly fitted these birds for their task of i-iddin^^ the trees of the y;rubs which ItortMnto them. Their beaks are hard, sharp and chisel-like, so that they are enabled to eidai'e-e the holes inhabited by these insects sutJiciently to enal)le them to insert their lonj:', barbed toniiue, witli which tiiev extract tin; larva' from their hidinij places. In the winter these birds tVeiiuently visit the orchard, garden and shrubbery, any destroyinijf the chrysa- lids of the moths that pi-oduce the leaf-eating' caterpillars. The touehest cocoon ever spiui by a caterpillar is no protection aj^ainst the sharji beaks of the.sc birds, even the strontilen-iri)!(jcles the Meadowlarks : like them it may often be seen stalking about on the ground searching for ants, of whieh it destroys vast (Hiantities. J have often found their stomachs tilled with them, and have rarely examined one without finding it con- tained some of these ins»;cts : it also devours great niunbeis of grasshop[)ers, beetles, moths and other ground insects. This bird is really a ground feeder, for. though classed among the Woodpeckers by reason of certain sinnlarities of struc- ture, it does less wocxlpecking than any other of its class, the beak not being as well fitted for that operation as the beaks of the othei'.s. It lias al.so the peculiarity of being able to perch cnjsswise on a branch, a method rarely adopted by its rela- tions. There is one other evil trait I have seen this bird exhibit, on two occa- sions only, that is the destruction by it of nests of the Bluel)ird : both the nests destroyed were built by the Blue-birds in holes in trees much higher than u.sual, probably from forty to fifty feet from the ground. I am not certain what the nests contained at the time, but I saw the woodpeckers pull out the nests and throw them piecemeal to the ground in spite of the resistance of the Bluebirds, but I found no trace of eggs or young ; if there were any they must have been eaten. It is probable that the woodpeckers wanted the nesting site for them- selves, and so dispossessed the owners. If so they were disappointed, for I settled the question by killing thi^m, but am sorry to say I omitted to examine the stomachs to .see whether or not they had devoured the young Bluebirds, if there were any. I am inclined to think these were exceptional cases : they occurred over twenty years ago and 1 have never seen a repetition of the trick. If these birds becotue a nuisance in a garden or orchard, they can easily be killed oft' while they are comitting their offence, but I think that through the country generally, the good they do far overbalances the little damage they may do locally. Yellow -bellied Woodpecker or Sapsiicker. Adult male, crown and chin crimson, back and wing coverts l)lack and wdiite, wings black with a large white bar, tail black, inner web of the two control feathers white with black spots, breast black edged with yellowish, the rest of the under parts dull yellowish, the sides white with black streaks. In the female the crim.son of the crown and chin is wanting, the crown is black with sometimes a few traces of ci'im.son on the forehead, the chin is white. I give a description of this species in order that it may be distinguished from the other small Woodpeckers, because it is ])rincipally owing to the ])i'opensity for drinking sap which the bird has, that a certain pre- judice exists in some localities against all the Woo«lpeckei"s or Sap suckers as they are calle*!. It is ((uite true that these Woodpeckers do, in the .spring, when the sap is I'ising, bore small holes in the bark of various trees for the purpose of so obtaitiiiiLj tilt' Slip as it Hows IVoiii tln'in, imd also toii^unict the insfcts upon vvhicli tlicy I'l't'*! to tilt' saiiu! Hpot, so that tlify can satiHt'y thcii- liuiijft'r and thirst with- out liaviii*;' to over-exert tlieiiiHelves in so (loin;^. Jf life was not so short I niit>lit he temj)te;ue hecaiiie iiioditied HO as to just suit the lialiit after the hird had ac(|uired it : for the hinl's t )iiL;'ue ceriainly differs fi'oni that of other Canadian VVood- pi'ckers and is iidniirahly tittetl ft)r the use to which it is put. A iliscussion of the t(uestion wouhl e.xeeed the scope of this article, and pi'oliahly not lead tt) anythiiie- after all. We know the Uinl has this hahit anti the (|uestion is, what is the effect of it upt)n the trees which aiv! horeil ' 1 have iiiatle what ob,s(!r- vations I (!ould, ami as many em|uiries from others as po.ssihle, anun<;' tree may be tendered un-iyhtly for a time, or it may even be permanently disfi^fureil by some peculiarity in the healinif of tlie barU, but usually no harm ensues. That a tree ever was or coujil be killed by it I tlo not believe, for I have never yet seen or heard any evidence in i)rot)f of it. Apart from its .sap ilrinkin;^' peculiarity the bird's record is e.xcellent ; it is not a fruit or eniin eatei', but devotes itself to the destructitai of insects that live on the trees or hide in the loose bark. Ants form a large prt»poi-tion of its fooil. These it obtains frtmi the rotten wood in which they burrow, as it does not de.scenil to the yi-oinitl in sttarch of thoni. Bt^etles and moths are also sought out and ilevoiireil, but as this bird's tongue is not as well barbed as that of some of the other Wooilpeckers, fewer grubs of the wood-boring class are eaten by it. I suppose if any man believes that these birds are doing an injury to his trees lie .shoultl be allowed to protect himself in the only way possible, viz., by getting rid of the birils on his own promises; but for bis own sake he should be sure he gets rid of the right tine, anil that neither the Downy nor the Hairy is destroyed by mi.stake. Botli the Downy and the Hairy Woodpecker remain with us all through the year, whilst the Sapsucker is a summer resident only: ,so that whenever a Wood- pecker is seen in the winter it should be .spared, for it is most certainly a bene- ficial one. Nuthatches, Chickadee and Tree Creeper. Of these we have two species of Nuthatches, — the White-breasted and Red-breasted, — one Chickadee and one Creeper. They are all resident species, though more frcMjuently seen about culti- vated lands in the winter than in any other season. They are among the most active insert destroyers we have, gleaning their food from the bark, branches and leaves of trees, and seldom descending to the ground, though when wood- chopping is going on in the bush the logs, sticks and chips wdl all be carefully searched for grubs wliich have been exposed by the axe. The familiarity dis- played by these little creatures at this time is very pk i.sing. As soon as work begins and the first few strokes of the axe sound through the busli, they gather round and investigate every piece of bark and decayed wood thrown open, and from each one gather some prizes. It is very amusing to watch the little Chickadee when he finds a large grub of one of the borers partly exposed. He pulls and tugs at it until it comes out, and then securely holding it down with his fet;t he tears it in pieces and ilevours it. Without the assistance of the chopper it is but seldom that they can get at the larger grubs that bore deeply into the solid wood, as they have neither the strength nor proper tools for digging them out ; but th»y have found out that when the farmer gets out his cordwood their oppor- tunity for a feast arrives, and so they take advantage of it. As a general rule, however, they scour the bush, orchard and shrubbery in merry little parties searching for food, from time to time uttering their musical notes, which always na oc br lie w th il lU 21 s upon wliicli I thirst witli- t so short I < bird luul to whether the IdhI iici|uire(| idiftii VVood- disciisMion of not h'iid to tioii is, what what obser- I have come ti'ee may be I'ed by some That a tree yet seen or •elient ; it is iiisi'C'ts that )i:tion of its w, as it does ' also sought liat of some eaten by it. to his trees , by getting sure he gets estroyed by all through 'era Wood- dy a bene- 0 species of and one ibout culti- ii' the most branches hen wood- : carefully iarity dis- )n as work hey gather open, and Chickadee pulls and his foot he topper it is 0 the solid them out ; leir oppor- neral rule, tie parties ch always have a jteeuliar "woodsy" i|U>ility about them. The seeds of the hendock ar(> occasionally (uiten by the Chickadee and Ked-l)ivasted Nuthatch, and the VVliite- brea.sted Nuthatch is said to sometimes eat beechnuts and acoi-ns, but I have never found any tra(!e of them The Tree Creeper eats no vegetable substance whatever. This little group of bii-fls is of the greatest value to the *'ru it-grower, as they fee(l principally on the miinite inst'cts and theii'eggs, which are individually .so small that they escape our ob.servation until, having seen the damage done by them, (jur attention is called to theii' existence, and then it is too late to enable us to remedy the matter for the season. THRUSHKS. We have in Ontario .seven species belonging to this family, all of them migratory, arriving here from the .south in eai'ly spring and k-aving us in the autunni, as cold weather sets in. They are the Wood Thrush, Wilson's Thrush, (irey cheeked Thrush ()live-back(!d Thrush, Hermit Thrush, Robin and Bluebird. The Olive-backed Tl :• ish, Hermit Thrush and Grey-cheeked Thru.sb pa.ss on and raise their young to the north of us ; the others remain throughout the .summer and breefl here. The Wood Thru.sh and Wilson's Thrush, or Veery, as it is .sometimes called, are strictly birds of the woodlands, and seldcMii venture far from the edge of the bush, though both species will at times select a garden where there are shrubs for their .sinnmer residence, if they find theni.selveH unmolested, particidarly if there are no -t destructive, for in feeding it just comes above the sui'face and cuts ofi' the entire plant, or if the plants are very young and the stems small it cuts oft' half a dozen or more at one ^^ 22 time, only catinj^ a small section out of the stem of each and leavinjj the plants (lead on the surface of the tyi-ound. Whole rows of peas, corn, beets, cabba the surface of tlu^ soil to the lieight of about three inches above it. This is obviously impossible in the case of field crops, and it is equally impossible to go over the fields and take the worms out by hand, so that we must i-ely, for the most part, upon the (••round feeders amongst the birds ; tliese are fitted by nature for digging out the insects and devouring tl)em. Robin. Among the most conspicuous of these birds is the Robin and one need only watch one of them at work in the garden, from April to about the nuddle of June (which is the season of the cut worm's activity) to be satisfied as to the Robin's good work. I will give the result of an experiment carried on by myself, which will satisfy anyone as to the number of these insects a pair of Robins will destroy when they are feerjing a brood of young. In May, 1889, I noticed a pair of Robins digging out cut worms in my garden, which was infested with them, and saw they were carrying them to their nest in a tree close by. On the 21st of that month I found one of the young on the ground, it having fallen out of the iiest, and in order to see how nnich insect food it required daily I took it to my liouse and raised it by hand. Up to the (Jth of June it had eaten from fifty to seventy cut woi-ms and earth worms every day. On the 0th of June I weighed tlie bird: its weight was exactly three ounces, and then I tried how much it would eat, it being now (|uite able to feed itself. With the assistance of my children I gathered a large lunnber of cut worms and gave them to the Robin after weighing them. In the course of that day it ate just five and one-half ounces of cut worm.s. These grubs averaged thirty to the ounce, so the young- Robin ate one hundred and sixty-five cut worms in one day. Had it been at liberty it would proVjably have euten some insects of other species and fewer cut worms, but this shows near about what each young Robin requires for its main- tainance when growing ; the adult bir(js re([uire nmch less, of course. The aver- age nundier of young raised by a Robin is four, and there are usually two broods in the .season A very simple calculation will give a good idea of the number of insects destroyed while the young are in the nest. After the yirds for sev- )Iae('d at the >sited letters the members t would con- s opened and :)f confidence y have been le Bluebirds have ((one ? That is not so easy to answer, but that they still exist in undimin- ished numbers I am able to state positiviily, for so late as last March (1898)1 saw mnn\' thousands passing over Toronto from west to east. The flight lasted from daylight to nine or ten o'clock every fine morning for about a sveek. I have seen tliis same movemimt every spring for years. jVIy opinion is that the birds have gone l)ack to the new settlements, where they can still find snake fences and pastures in whicK the old stumps are standing — oui modern barbed wire which which has tak(m the place of the old stake and rider fence having deprived them of a favoritt; nesting place. The up-to-date fruit grower, too, no longer alknvs his apple trees to go untrinnned and full of holes, but cuts out the old trees and replaces them with young ones. This has removed many of the old nesting sites, iiud the bii'ds have spread out over the large area of new country now being brought under cultivation. Tbev introduced themselves to the Province of Mani- toba about 1884, and have since become quite common there, having evidently followed the settlers, as they were quite unknown in that country before it was brought under general cultivation. The utility of this bir substance I have ever known the bird to touch. I have heard complaints from bee-keepers that these birds will destroy bees. It is just possible that thty will occa,sionally take them, but I have seen no evidence that they have acipiired the habit, in case the King birds should bt; seen frequenting the vicinity of 26 liives, it would be well to watch closely before sliootin the whole summer through. vegl haN froj mai ne is 11 coiJ ord ouii soil an(| in lar sea SPARROWS, FINCHES. Etc. This is a very large family represented in Ontario by thirty-four species. Want of space prohibits my calling attention to the food habits of each of these s])ecies in detail. It will, however, be sufficient for the purpose of this paper to refer particularly only to those which in some manner are specially beneticial or injurious to the crops usually cultivated for profit. Ail these birds are insect eaters in the summer months, and their ycning while in the nest are fed entirely on insects ; but in the autumn, winter and early spring, the mature birds subsist principally on the seeds of wihl })lants and forest trees. The Rose-breasted (irosbeak is one of the largest and most beautiful of the family, and is of more than usual interest because it is one of the vei-y few birds that will eat the (!!oloi'ado potato beetle and its larvie, and also the larva! of the Tussock moth, this last being a hairy caterpillar, very destructive to almo.st all shade and oirhard trees. A specimen of this bird in my possession eats both thest! insects readily. Unfortunately, these Grosbeaks are of a retiring disposition, and usually ivsoi-t to the seclusion of the woods, but it is one of the few species that seems to be increasing in Ontario, and if unmolested it may possible become more familiar in its habits If so, its services in lessening the nuinbei" of Tussock moths would be of great value. None of the native members of this family aiv addicted to euting the ordinary grain or fruit crops, Imt the Purple Finch (the adult male of this species is crimson, not p(n'|)le) in the spring is .sometimes injur- ious in orchards and gardens, where it destroys the buds of fruit trees. Tliey will also devoui- great (|uantities of sunHowei's and other .seeillai-s tluit infest the shade trees in our towns. They eitlier forgot or did not know that the sparrow belongs to a cla.ss of l)irds whose diet consists of •27 i, as they ai-e too 11 of the stoinacli oporti'd. :)r nioi-e pairs of i"e are not many o I hope it may It has all the iispicion of any and their nests Id lioine, and as ould oive them ^ause they nniy lono-, and Jx^ng ryone. All the JUt each one of whole .sununer y-four species, f each of these ' this paper to ally beneficial irds are insect I'e fed entirely '■i birds subsist autiful of the ery few birds Iai-v;e of the to almost all ^ion lats both g disposition. 0 few species ssible iiecomc ;r of Tussock- is family aiv '•'.i^'iiich (the etinies injur- tives. They l"y are not, ntroversy, is into Ontario I' impi-e.ssion 1 eatin^i' the )i'«ot or did ■ consists of vegetable! sul)stance and insects in al)out ('(|ual proportion, and that the Sparrow, having attached itself to the haunts of man, usually obtains its vegetable food from the plants and se-eds cultivated by men tor their own use. I have read many rt^poits of so called observers, who have stated that the House Sparrow never eats insects of any kind, that it drives away our native birds, and that it is altogether an unmitigated nuisance. Sweeping assertions of this kind are only conclusive evidence that the so-called observer cannot obsei've. No one witli ordinary perceptive faculties can walk through our public parks, or along one of our stieets where there are trees and grass in the sunnuer time, without seeing some Sparrows industriously hunting for insects with which to feed their young, And should anyone havo a sparrow's nest under his verandah or about his house in such a position tliat some of the food brought by the parent bii'ds to their J^oung will fall where it can be seen, the proof that they do eat insects, and in ai'gc quantities too, will be very clear. The old Inrds also eat insects at this season, varying their '8 seek them in open places on the ground. The sandy shores of our lakes are jiarlu'ulurly resorted to at such times. In the latter part of July and the beginning of August the large female ants awarm from their nests, each one prepared to found a colony for herself were she 29 roosting places LMi the Swallow's to turn out, the .U that we lose .-i whtjse value is )ear heeiiis to be to make it sue n the season of them interfere vith theirs. In Iwn's Thrushes, [linch, and the ' Sparrows and a pretty close -Is which were ised. 1 not be over- it weed. This s and destroys ties constantly •s quite cleared ■•in, the Barn in, all regular .onally occurs "s not readily >"t them the le an unbear- chiefly that the country' iit so abound men, partly lie necessary affords them itely is dis- their food tly occur in nd then the of our lakes female ants If were she permitted : the Swallows, fortunately for us, however, intiirfere and gorge them- s^jlves upon thes'^ creatures, th»* Purple Martins particularly, destroying vast numbers of them, voax after the ants have divested themselves of their wings ; wlu'U this has taken place tlic Martins alight on the ground pursuing them there with the greatest acfcivit}'. The Chimney Swift, which closely resembles the Swallows in its habits,except that it never alights on the ground even to obtain the materials foi" its curiously constructed nest, may be mentioned in connection with them, its economic value being efjuall}' givat. Might Hairls. All the Swallow tribe gather their food during the day, and the hotter and brighter it is the more active they seem to be ; the Chimney Swift's period of greatest activity is the early morning and late t'vening. The Night hawk and Whip-poor-will commence their work at dusk and keep it up till sun- rise. Their food consists, for the most pai't, of the lai'ge night-Hying moths and beetles ; on one occasion, however, I foun; ,^ "^ of the moths which produce then,, and so we can easdy Z^^^'^^.:;'^ Vn u)^e^ would be to the crops if these creattu-es wei;e allowed to "^^^^ ' "^'^'^f , ,,,. by their natural eneiuies; so prolific ar(= they that I believe t^^^^;""*^;;,',^ ^^^^^ season would provide a sufficient nund^er to clear oft all the crops we cultnate. A constant war is being carried on betwmi the iiisect world «';< the^^!J|- table kingdom. The laws of nature would keep the '1!^''"^^%*^^ , , nf . hV adjust d But man re.,uires that it should be inclined n, ^^^or o he pla ts^^^^^^^ cultivates for his own use. To obtain this enendroica coronata Redstart Setophaga rnticilla HoRNEK Lark Otocoris alfjestris ^■-J^"' >5 i I i Phiebk Sayornis phcebe 4 Whip-Poor- Will Antrosfomus rocijerns Fox Sl'ARROW Pasierella iliaca SoNO Sparrow M.elospiza fasciata -<*k PuRPtE Finch Carpochmis purpnrevs TlOSE-BRRASTED GbOHIIEAK Habia bidoiiciona Cef.ar Waxwixo Ampelis cedrorim f fAAjU/^^^ , #1 ■•I Barn Swallow Gheliilun irtjth rtxjoster \ hii!>^ C: