they would do this work for him, and much better than he can. But
because (as I said in a former chapter) one or two hawks and owls have a
taste for chickens, he generally kills every hawk and owl he sees, and
for this folly has to spend half his time trying to kill the little
animals they would gladly have eaten.
A great deal of refuse, dead sea creatures, and other matter, is thrown
up on the seashore, or floats on the water. On this feed the water
birds,--herons, gulls, terns, and others. If this were not disposed of,
it would make us sick. Indeed, on the shores where so many herons have
been killed, to get their plumes for ladies' hats, the result has been
sickness and death among the people, as Dr. Gaumer, of Yucatan, told Mr.
Chapman.
Besides the work they do for us in destroying animal life, their
seed-eating is almost as useful. As I said, they eat the seeds of weeds
that farmers and gardeners are all the time laboring to keep down, so
that useful plants may have a chance to grow.
The whole family of finches, sparrows, buntings, grosbeaks, and all
birds with the high, thick bill, though they eat largely of insects
through the summer, and feed their nestlings on them, when insects get
scarce and weed seeds are ripe, turn to the latter for food. They eat
the seeds of all kinds of troublesome weeds; and as each single seed
might produce a plant, we cannot guess how much they destroy.
Professor Beal, who is at the head of this government inquiry into the
food of birds, and who knows what he is talking about, says that one
species of little bird--the tree sparrow--destroys every year in one of
the Western States, many tons of the seeds of weeds.
There is a curious and interesting fact about this seed-eating. The
regular seed-eaters, the finches, prefer the seeds of certain weeds,
most of them harmful; these they break up, taking off the shells, and of
course destroying the germ, making it impossible for them to grow.
But there are many birds who eat berries having in them seeds, such as
raspberries, blackberries, and all kinds of wild fruit. These birds do
not crack the seeds; and, as they are hard, they do not digest in the
stomach, but are dropped whole, and are ready to grow wherever they
fall.
Thus, while seed-eating birds destroy the weeds which are hurtful, the
fruit-eaters plant the seeds of berries and fruit which we like. That is
why we find wild berry bushes all over the country. We have to thank the
birds for it.
A great deal more could be said about the birds' work for us, not only
of the robins and those I have spoken of, but cedar-birds, who are shot
because they take part of our cherries, blackbirds, because they eat
some grain, orioles, because they occasionally take green peas, and
kingbirds, because they have the name of eating bees, though it has been
proved that they eat only drones, which have no sting and make no honey.
Let me impress upon you two facts. First, the stories of the harm done
by birds are often mere guesswork, from careless observation. For
instance, a man seeing a bird going over his blossoming fruit-trees, at
once concludes he is destroying the fruit, probably shoots him, and then
writes to his favorite paper that a certain bird eats fruit buds. Other
papers copy it, and a war against that bird begins in every orchard.
Whereas, the truth is, the bird was preserving the fruit by picking out
the insects that would have spoiled it. This is no fancy picture; this
very thing has happened more than once.
And again, whatever is said about the harm this or that bird does, never
forget this second fact, which I repeat, and which may be relied upon as
perfectly trustworthy. The officers of the government of the United
States, who have carefully studied the matter and found out positively,
without guesswork, what birds eat, have declared emphatically that every
bird they have examined does more good by destroying pests, than harm to
our crops, excepting only the bird we have imported,--the English or
house sparrow.
XXIX
HOW TO ATTRACT HIM ABOUT OUR HOMES
BECAUSE birds are so useful to us, as well as because they are so
interesting and so beautiful, it is delightful to have them come about
our homes. And it is not at all difficult, for they are easily taught to
like us.
In countries where people are gentle, and try to make birds happy,
instead of shooting them or throwing stones at them, they become very
tame. Mr. Hearn, who has written about Japan, says that the fearlessness
of wild creatures is one of the most charming things about the remote
parts of Japan, "where tourists with shotguns have not yet come."
Travelers who visit Norway tell us that birds are never disturbed there,
and they come freely about the houses. When it is very cold they even
come into the houses for food and warmth, and no one thinks of
frightening them or trying to catch them.
Even in our own country, Dr. Ridgway told me of a bird-lover in Florida
who would not let birds be annoyed on his place. As a result he had a
great many there, and they became very tame. Cardinal grosbeaks, who are
rather shy, were so tame they would take food from his hand.
A person living in the country, wishing to draw the birds about his
place, should begin by protecting it. Cats should not be allowed to come
near, English sparrows should be kept down, and boys who shoot or throw
stones should be banished from the vicinity.
Next, trees and shrubs that birds like, for nesting and for food, should
be set out. For nesting, a very attractive place for the smaller species
is a thick hedge of bushes, the thicker and closer the better.
Nesting-boxes nailed up in trees please many, and evergreen trees will
draw some that would not come otherwise. For food, various berry-bearing
shrubs and trees should be provided, such as chokecherry, shadberry,
mulberry, and others.
In a town or city, besides shrubs that birds like, a high fence, with a
top that cats cannot walk on, is desirable, and a readiness to go to
their assistance is soon appreciated.
A friend told me a few days ago of a family of wood thrushes who nested
last summer in the yard of her house in the city of Orange, N. J. The
birds soon found out that some of the family would come to drive away
strange cats which came in. After they learned that, when a cat appeared
they would give a peculiar cry, unlike any other heard from them. On
hearing this, one of the family always hurried out and drove the enemy
away.
If the birds could not get any response from a call at the kitchen door,
they would fly to the front of the house, perch on the piazza rail, and
call till some one came out. All through nesting-time they thus called
on their friends for protection, and the delight the family had over the
nest and the friendly birds amply repaid them for their trouble.
The one great necessity, in both city and country, is water for drinking
and bathing. It should be in a shallow dish. The rough saucer of a
flower-pot is best, because the bird's feet do not slip on it, and the
edge is broad and round and easy to perch on.
Next best is an earthen dish, with clean pebbles in the bottom, to
prevent slipping, which frightens them. Water should never be more than
two inches deep, but should always be clean, and fresh two or three
times a day.
No food should be offered in summer, because we want them to get their
natural food of worms and seeds.
In the winter it is different. They should have food regularly. But once
used to having their wants supplied, they will depend upon it, and
suffer and probably starve, if they are neglected or forgotten. So one
should be very sure he will not get tired of it, before he teaches them
to expect food.
To feed them safely, a shelf must be placed out of the reach of cats and
bad boys. On the sill of a window is a good place, or the roof of a
piazza, or a little balcony. Breakfast should be served to them at the
same hour every day, and they will soon know when to come for it.
For food, they will eat any table scraps of meat, and vegetables, and
bread, chopped fine, and most kinds of grain, broken up, or crushed, for
the smaller birds.
But the thing they all like best of everything is raw suet, as it comes
from the butcher. A large piece may be wired or nailed in place, so that
it may be picked at and not displaced, or it may be chopped fine and
scattered on the shelf, like other food. All birds are fond of this.
In winter they need water, and it should then, also, be fresh.
A lady living in southern Ohio, who has for several years given a
breakfast to the birds every day in winter, told me that her daily
guests last season were hairy and downy woodpeckers, nuthatches, white
and red-breasted, one young kinglet, a pair of chickadees, tufted
titmice, blue jays, juncos, cardinal grosbeaks, Carolina wrens, and
sparrows.
This delightful company came regularly for breakfast, and to pay her,
sang nearly through the season.
In the latitude of New York there are about forty birds who spend the
winter, and of course there are more as one goes south. In the Southern
States, many of our northern birds may be studied in the winter.
XXX
HOW TO STUDY HIM
AN attractive thing about bird study is the fact that there is still so
much to be found out.
Men have been studying the dead bird for many years. All about the body
is well known. The way he is made, the arrangement of his bones and his
organs, are plainly set forth in the books, in words and pictures.
The shape and colors of his plumage, how many feathers belong to his
wing and tail, his length, his extent, the shape of his beak and his
foot,--all these facts are to be found in every Ornithology.
Some of his most easily noted habits, too, are familiar; where and when
he nests, where he spends his time, and where he goes in the winter,
what he eats, and when he changes his dress.
But really to know the living bird, to make acquaintance with the
individual, to see his family life, his manners, his intelligence, his
powers,--this kind of study has hardly begun.
This almost new and most attractive field is open to us to-day. It
offers a charming study, with the added interest of discoveries to be
made. Nor is it so hard as most persons think.
In the beginning there are two things to learn: first, how to study from
life; and second, how to identify without killing. To study is simply to
observe closely and carefully, and to report accurately.
Take a little lesson in observing: When you see a bird do not merely
gaze idly at him, but take note of everything about him. What he is
doing, how he is doing it, and all his points, his size and shape, his
colors and markings.
If he is getting food, as he most often is, see whether he picks it from
the tree trunk or gathers it from grass tops; whether he hunts it among
leaves, bores the bark, drops to the ground, or sails out into the air
for it.
Then try to discover what it is--insect or seed, beetle, grub, or
worm--and what he does with it,--swallow it at once, beat it to death,
or hold it in his mouth uneaten.
Then notice his manners,--if he stands still, or jerks his tail or body;
if he flits about the branches, hovers before a flower, or hammers at
the door of an unlucky grub behind the bark. Next, does he walk or hop?
does he chatter or keep silent? fly straight, or go bounding in great
waves through the air? All these things you must learn to see, and to
note down the moment you do so, so that you will not be uncertain or
confused when you take your books to see who he is.
Then you must take note of his size, and to do this--as it is hard to
judge of inches--it is well to have in mind a sort of index of size to
which you can compare him. Take the most common and best-known birds for
standards, the robin, the English sparrow, and one smaller,--the wren,
or the "chebec" (least flycatcher). When you see a bird, if he is as big
as a robin, enter in your note: "Size, robin." Should he be a little
smaller, yet still larger than your measure,--the English sparrow,--you
can note it, "Size, robin -," the minus sign meaning that it is less. If
he were larger, you would put the plus sign: "Size, robin +."
Observe the shape, whether it is slim like an oriole, or chunky like a
chickadee; also any peculiarity of plumage, as a crest, specially long
or strangely formed tail feathers; the end of the tail, whether square,
rounded, pointed, or notched.
Then notice the beak; its length compared to the head, its shape and
color. If it is high and thick, like a canary's or sparrow's, the bird
is a seed-eater; if long and straight, like a robin's, he is an
insect-eater; if sharp and flat, opening very wide like a swallow's, he
is a flycatcher.
[Illustration: FIG. 18.
Canadian Warbler.]
Lastly, note the plumage, the general color, then special markings, such
as bars on wings or tail, a ring around the eye (Fig. 18), or a line
over or through the eye (Fig. 19), white or black throat (Fig. 20 or
19), speckled or striped breast (Fig. 18), or any conspicuous blotch.
Every point must be set down the moment you notice it. You cannot trust
your memory.
[Illustration: FIG. 19.
Black-throated Green Warbler.]
With these full notes, return to your study and take your manual to find
out his name, or to identify.
[Illustration: FIG. 20.
White-throated Sparrow.]
Many persons think that in order to know a bird, and especially to find
out his name, one must have him in the hand, count his wing and tail
feathers, and measure his length. Excepting for exact scientific
purposes, this is not at all necessary. Almost any bird in America may
be perfectly identified without touching him, indeed, while he is in the
enjoyment of his liberty in a tree. For birds have marked external
differences, which are carefully set down in the books.
The modern manuals, too, are usually furnished with a color key, the use
of which is fully explained in them. With the help of this you will have
little trouble in naming your bird.
Above all, be exact in your knowledge and do not jump at conclusions. If
you see a bird on a fruit-tree picking about the blossoms, do not decide
offhand that he is spoiling the fruit; look closely to see if he is not,
instead, clearing it of worms that would destroy it all. When you notice
a bird in a strawberry bed, do not instantly conclude that he is after
strawberries; he doesn't care half so much for berries as he does for
insects, and very often he is engaged in ridding the plants of pests, at
the moment that he is scared off or shot by a careless person, who does
not wait to see whether he is friend or foe.
Although patience and clear eyes alone will open many delightful secrets
of bird life, a good opera glass will do still more. It will bring you
nearer to the bird without frightening him. You can see thus much
better, not only his markings, but what he is doing. In a word, you can
be more sure of your facts.
In deciding upon the actions of a bird, never _guess_ at anything. If
you see a pair very busy about a shrub, you may be sure they have a nest
there, but do not so record it till you have actually seen the nest.
Even then you should not conclude at once that it belongs to them; I
have seen birds sit a few moments in nests which did not belong to
them--as if to try them. You may feel very sure what a bird means by an
action, but you should set down only what he _does_. Without this care,
your records will be worthless.
Do not discourage yourself by trying to find the name of every tiny atom
in feathers that you see; indeed, little birds flitting about the
tree-tops--mostly warblers--will be hard for you to identify, and almost
impossible to watch. I advise you to confine your study at first to the
larger and less lively birds,--kingbirds, robins, thrushes, phœbes,
bluebirds, orioles, goldfinches, and others, all of which you will find
near to houses and easy to study. Do not expect too much at once, nor
give up in despair if you cannot identify the first bird you see.
[Illustration: SCARLET TANAGER]
You may be sure that every hour you honestly give to the study will make
it more interesting; every bird you learn to know will be like a new and
delightful companion.
You will lose your desire to take life or even to steal eggs from them;
the country will have new charms for you; in fact, a person blessed with
a love of the study of birds or beasts or insects possesses a lifelong
and inexhaustible source of interest and happiness.
In regard to a manual, there are now so many to be had, one hardly knows
how to select. I will mention only two or three, which have particular
points of value.
A good book to begin with, for residents of New England, New York, and
the Eastern Middle States, is Professor Willcox's "Land Birds of New
England" (Lothrop Lee & Shepard, Boston. Price 60 cts., by mail).
Although this little book treats of only ninety birds, they are the most
common, and its value is its simplicity, and the ease with which its
color key enables one to identify the birds it treats. It introduces a
beginner to the larger works in a most pleasing way.
A good general work for Eastern North America, thoroughly trustworthy
and not too technical in its use of terms, treating all the birds of
the locality, is Chapman's "Handbook of the Birds of Eastern North
America" (Appleton, New York. Price $3.00). It has a color key and a
color chart, by which one may see what is meant by colors named.
Especially attractive to ladies and amateurs, for its charming accounts
of bird life, is Mrs. Wright's "Birdcraft" (Macmillan, New York. Price,
$2.00). It treats but two hundred species, but that includes the birds
usually seen in the New England and Northern Middle States. It has a
color key.
The whole United States is covered by Dr. Coues's "Key to North American
Birds," 2 volumes (The Page Company, Boston. Price $12.50). It is not
quite so easy for the beginner, but it is untechnical in style, and
fully illustrated.
One book deserving mention because of its value as an aid to teachers is
Miss Merriam's "Birds of Village and Field" (Houghton Mifflin Co.,
Boston. Price $2.00). It is exceptionally rich in facts and statistics
relating to the economic value of birds. It treats nearly two hundred of
the most common birds.
A book intended for identification only is Professor Apgar's "Birds of
the United States" (American Book Company, New York. Price $2.00). It is
the result of his experience as teacher, and has several new features
very helpful to beginners, such as small cuts at the bottom of pages to
explain terms, thus showing exactly what is meant, for example, by "wing
bars" or "rounded tail." It also gives hints about the usual locality of
a bird, whether creeping over a tree trunk, on the wing, or elsewhere.
It takes particular note of size, having one section for birds about the
size of an English sparrow, and so on. The pronunciation of the Latin
names is carefully indicated. There are several chapters giving
descriptions of the external parts of a bird, and there is a glossary of
scientific terms.
The following list of points to observe in watching birds has been used
to advantage by classes in bird study. A little familiarity with this
will help one to remember what to look for.
A similar, but fuller and more elaborate, list has been prepared, and
bound up in tablets, to use in the field. It is for sale by Miss J. A.
Clark, 1322 Twelfth Street, N. W., Washington, D. C.
POINTS TO OBSERVE
1. Locality--tree: bush: ground.
2. Size--compared to robin: English sparrow.
3. Form--long: short: slender: plump.
4. Beak--high: stout: wide: hooked: long: lobes: drawn down.
5. Tail--length: shape at end.
6. Legs--long: short: scales.
7. Toes--webbed: how turned: hind claw long.
8. Color--bright: striking: dull: plain.
9. Markings--on head: breast: wing: tail: back.
10. Manners--walk: hop: quiet: active: noisy: silent.
11. Habits--eating seeds: berries: insects: from ground: tree
trunk: leaves.
12. Song--long: short: continuous: broken.
13. Flight--direct: undulating: fluttering: labored.
14. Nest--where placed: shape: materials: eggs.
15. Young--plumage: behavior.
SECOND BOOK
THE SECOND BOOK OF BIRDS
I
WHAT IS A BIRD FAMILY?
IN the "First Book of Birds" I told you about the common life of a bird;
what sort of a home he has, and how he is taken care of when little;
then how he lives when grown up; what he eats; where he sleeps; and
something about how he is made.
In this book, I want to help you a step further on in your study of
birds. I shall tell you something about particular birds, about the
families they belong to, and the different ways in which they live.
To begin with: What is a bird family? In life, a bird family is exactly
like a human family. It consists of father, mother, and children. But in
the books, a family means quite another thing.
Men who study the Science of Birds, or Ornithology, have placed the
birds in groups which they call families, to make it easier to find out
about them, and write about them. This way of arranging them in books is
called classification--or forming them into classes.
Birds are classified, not by the way they look, but by the way they are
made, or their structure, and this is found out by the study of
Scientific Ornithology. Birds may look a good deal alike, and act alike,
and yet be differently made.
There is first the grand class AVES, which includes all creatures who
wear feathers. This class is divided into orders.
Orders are made by putting together a large number of birds who are
alike in one thing. For instance, all birds who have feet made to clasp
a perch, and so are perchers, are put in an order together.
But many birds have feet for perching who are very different in other
ways. So orders are divided into families, which I shall tell you about
in this book.
In each family I shall tell you about one or more of the best known, or
the ones you are most likely to see, and that will help you to know the
rest of the family when you begin to study birds out of doors, and use
the manual to learn the names.
I shall often speak of what has been found out about the food of birds,
and I want to tell you here, once for all, how it was done, so that you
may understand just what I mean when I speak of the work of the
Department of Agriculture. The Government of the United States has in
Washington a department with a head and many men under him, whose
business it is to take charge of everything concerning agriculture, that
is, farming, fruit-growing, etc. This is called the Department of
Agriculture.
Farmers and fruit-growers made so much complaint of the damage done to
crops by birds, that this department determined to find out just what
birds do eat. The only way it could be done was by having the birds
killed and seeing what food was in their stomachs, for it is almost
impossible to tell by watching them. To know positively which birds do
harm by eating more grain or fruit than insects, and which do good by
eating more insects, would save the lives of many thousands. So the
killing of those they studied was useful to the whole race.
When they wanted to find out what crows eat, they had crows killed all
over the country--hundreds of them--and the stomachs, with the food in,
sent to them in Washington. Then they went to work and examined every
one. They could tell by the shells of seeds and the hard parts of
insects, and bones and hair of mice, etc., just what had been eaten. And
the contents of every stomach was written down and preserved in a book.
Thus, you see, they could tell what crows were in the habit of feeding
upon.
They did this with many other birds who are said to do harm,--hawks,
owls, blackbirds, kingbirds, and others. That is how we come to know
what birds eat, and can tell whether they do harm or good. There can be
no mistake in this way of knowing, and so what comes from this
department may be relied upon as true.
I want this little book to help the bird-lovers in the South and West of
our big country, as well as in the East; and so, in each Family, I shall
try to tell about a bird who may be seen in each part. A good many of
our birds are found both East and West, with slight differences, but
some that are in one part are not in the other.
II
THE THRUSH FAMILY
(_Turdidæ_)[2]