little
effect upon the survivors.

On the other hand, these Black Birds more than compensate the farmer
for their mischief by the benefit they confer in the destruction of grub
worms, caterpillars, and various kinds of larvae, the secret and deadly
enemies of vegetation. It has been estimated the number of insects
destroyed by these birds in a single season, in the United States, to
be twelve thousand millions.

The eggs average about an inch in length. They are oval in shape, have a
light bluish ground, and are marbled, lined and blotched with markings
of light and dark purple and black.

BLACKBIRD.

'Tis a woodland enchanted!
By no sadder spirit
Than blackbirds and thrushes,
That whistle to cheer it
All day in the bushes,
This woodland is haunted;
And in a small clearing,
Beyond sight or hearing
Of human annoyance,
The little fount gushes.--LOWELL.

[Illustration: RED-WING BLACK BIRD.]

THE BIRD OF SOCIETY.

The blackbird loves to be one of a great flock. He talks, sings or
scolds from morning until night. He cannot keep still. He will only stay
alone with his family a few months in the summer. That is the reason he
is called the "Bird of Society." When he is merry, he gaily sings,
"Conk-quer-ree." When he is angry or frightened he screams, "Chock!
Chock!" When he is flying or bathing he gives a sweet note which sounds
like ee-u-u. He can chirp--chick, check, chuck, to his little ones as
softly as any other bird. But only his best friends ever hear his
sweetest tones, for the Blackbirds do not know how to be polite. They
all talk at once. That is why most people think they only scream and
chatter. Did you ever hear the blackbirds in the cornfields? If the
farmers thought about it perhaps they would feel that part of every corn
crop belongs to the Blackbirds. When the corn is young, the farmer
cannot see the grubs which are eating the young plants. The Blackbirds
can. They feed them to their babies--many thousands in a day. That is
the way the crops are saved for the farmer. But he never thinks of that.
Later when the Blackbirds come for their share of the corn the farmer
says, "No, they shall not have my corn. I must stop that quickly."
Perhaps the Blackbirds said the same thing to the grubs in the spring.
It is hard to have justice for everyone.

In April the Blackbird and his mate leave the noisy company. They seek
a cosy home near the water where the