File:The Oölogist for the student of birds, their nests and eggs (1916) (14748670181).jpg

Identifier: ologistforstud331916latt (find matches)
Title: The Oölogist for the student of birds, their nests and eggs
Year: 1886 (1880s)
Authors: Lattin, Frank H
Subjects: Birds Birds
Publisher: Albion, N.Y. : Frank H. Lattin
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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Thrushes. That Thrushes—the group of birdsin which are included Robins and Blue-birds—do a great deal of good andvery little harm to agriculture, is theconclusion reached by investigators ofthe United States Department of Agri-culture who have carefully studied thefood habits of these birds. Altogetherthere are within the limits of theUnited States eleven species ofThrushes, five of which are commonlyknown as Robins and Bluebirds. Theother six include the Townsend soli-taire, the Wood, the Veery, the Gray-cheek, the Olive-back, and the hermitthrushes. The Robins and Bluebirds nest closeto houses, and even the shyest of theother species are content with the se-clusion of an acre or two of woodlandor swamp. For this reason theThrushes are among the best knownand most carefully protected of nativeAmerican birds, and at times theirnumbers become so great that it isfeared they will do much harm tocrops and fruit. The recent investiga-tions of the Department of Agricul- THE OOLOGIST 77
Text Appearing After Image:
Nearer view of cavity made by Northern Pileated Woodpecker in 1914Near Waynesburg, Pa. —Photo by S. S. Dickey. 7« THE OOLOQIBT ture, however, show that there is verylittle ground for this fear. On theother hand, they destroy such a vastnumber of insects each year, that it isprobable that without them manycrops would suffer serious damage. Of all the Thrushes, the Robin isprobably the best known. It has beenfrequently accused of destroying fruitsand berries, but it has now been ascer-tained that this only occurs in regionsthat are so thickly settled that thereis no wild fruit upon which the Robinmay subsist. In some years the birdis a great pest in the olive orchardsof California, but it is probable thatthey are driven to the orchards be-cause of the scarcity of native berriesat these times. Where wild fruit isavailable, the birds seem to preferthis to the cultivated varieties. Like the Robin, the Bluebird is verydomestic, but unlike the Robin, it doesnot prey upon any cultivated pr

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