These men

that different birds live upon. have examined the stomachs of many hundreds of birds, and in other ways have sought information concerning their food and habits. Following are a few examples of experiments they have made and of facts they have learned.

(a) At one time they examined the contents of the stomachs of 281 kingbirds collected from various parts of the country. They found the remains of bees in only 14 stomachs; in these 14 stomachs they found only 50 bees; 40 of these were drones and 4 were known to be workers; the remaining 6 were so badly broken that the sex could not be determined. The remains of 19 robber flies were found in the 281 stomachs. Robber flies are insects that prey upon other insects, and especially upon bees. These experiments prove that about 90 per cent of the food of the kingbird consists in flies, wasps, beetles, and other injurious insects, and that honeybees constitute only a small part of their food. In addition to the large number of harmful insects this bird destroys, it is otherwise useful. It usually builds its nest in an

orchard, or in a grove near a house. If a hawk or a crow approaches its nest or disturbs the fowls of the near-by barnyard, this bold little bird at once attacks it and drives it away.

(b) These men also determined that about 93 per cent of the food of the phobe consists of worms and spiders.

(c) An examination of the stomachs of 46 blackbilled cuckoos showed remains of 906

caterpillars, 44 beetles, 100 sawflies, and 15 spiders.

(d) The 109 stomachs of the yellow-billed cuckoos examined showed remains of 1,865 caterpillars, 93 beetles, 242 grasshoppers, 37 sawflies, 69 bugs, and 86 spiders.

3. QUESTIONS.

1. Name six kinds of birds that, during certain seasons of the year, assemble in flocks, bevies, or droves.

2. Name two birds that catch mice.

3.

Name three that catch flies.

4. Name four that are good songsters.

5. State some differences in the way birds fly,

(a) in the motion of the wings; (b) in the

motion of the body; (c) in the line of direction, whether straight or curved; (d) in their endurance in flight; (e) name birds that cannot fly.

6. What birds furnish the best feathers for pillows and beds?

7. Should birds be killed and their plumage used for trimming hats?

8. Do not most birds destroy insects?

9. Which is wiser and better, to kill the birds, or let them live to destroy insects and to make the world happier and better by their presence and their songs?

10. Have you read the poem entitled "The Birds of Killingworth," written by Henry W. Longfellow?

LESSON XIV.

IN THE ORCHARD.

I.

The earth gives man food, shelter, and clothing. The trees of the forests, the iron and tin of the mines, the stones of the hillsides, he shapes into buildings; while various vegetables and animals give him the materials for his clothing and his food.

Man, in his savage state, makes use of such fruit as he finds growing in the forests, and he uses these largely in the form in which he finds them, much as birds and animals do; but as he becomes wiser he cultivates these fruits, adds to the varieties, and learns, in time, how to store them for future use.

Knowledge in this direction is not so easily or so rapidly gained as one might think.

For example: man has always been a consumer of fruit, but the principle of canning and thus storing it for future use is a modern discovery. There was a time, too, when he depended upon the forests in his neighborhood for his supply of fruit, but as each neighborhood became more thickly populated, nature's supply was found to be too limited for the demand, and these conditions led to fruit culture or fruit growing.

Soil has something to do with the best growth of fruit, but climate and culture are even more important.

Some fruits, such as bananas, oranges, lemons, etc., thrive only in warm or tropical climates. Others, such as apples, peaches, grapes, plums, etc., grow in a temperate climate, and over a wider range of country.

2.

The practical farmer and fruit grower is at present most interested in the culture of the trees or plants he desires to grow, and in the care of the fruit after it is matured. He usually selects a piece of ground for his orchard that is sufficiently rolling to drain itself. He takes special pains in setting the trees or plants, because he realizes that their life and growth depend largely upon the manner of their planting and the attention they receive after they are set.

He digs a hole somewhat wider than the actual spread of the roots, mellows the soil in the bottom of the hole, and carefully covers the roots with rich, loose earth. He sets the plants in straight rows, in such a way that they may be cultivated in more than one direction. When setting the trees he usually leans them in the direction from which the prevailing winds of his locality