hile others
furnish sport and pleasure to a large number of men and boys who seem
to require a certain kind of entertainment while accompanied with dog
and gun. Dead birds when embalmed as mummies and attached to the
head-gear worn by some girls and women are also claimed to cause much
happiness.

_Birds as Enemies._--It would be ridiculous for me to assert here that
no injury ever results from the presence of birds on the farm or in
the orchard. Quite a number of different species are continually
stepping over to the wrong side of the "ledger" as it were, and
committing depredations of various kinds which if considered alone
would render the perpetrators liable to severe punishment--in some
cases even unto death. Some of the crimes that can be charged to the
feathered tribe are cherry and berry-stealing, grape-puncturing,
apple-pecking, corn-pulling, grain-eating, the unintentional carrying
from place to place of some kinds of scale insects that happen to
crawl on their legs and feet, the possible spreading of hog cholera by
crows and buzzards, the robbing of the poultry yard, and lastly some
birds are accused of making noises that awaken us from our slumbers in
the morning.

Some of these crimes are genuine and are to be deplored, while others
are more imaginary than real. A few of them could be prevented in part
or altogether, while others might be diminished if we were inclined to
take the trouble to do it.

After all that can be said pro and con concerning the usefulness of
birds in general there remains no doubt, in the minds of thinking
people at least, as to the value of these creatures. It is only the
vicious, biased, and thoughtless persons who continue ruthlessly to
destroy birds indiscriminately without first pausing to consider
whether or not it is a proper thing to do, whether it is right or
wrong.

_Food habits._--So varied is this task of evening up in nature that if
attended to properly the workers must be numerous in individuals and
possess widely different habits. That such is the case can readily be
seen by the following brief account of the various groups of our
Nebraska birds, along with brief statements of their food habits.

The Grebes and Loons feed chiefly upon snails and other aquatic
animals such as are found about their haunts. They also capture many
grasshoppers and similar insects that happen in their way. They
cannot, therefore, be classed among the especially beneficial birds,
ne