The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1828-08-06
From the Ne,O England Farmer.
INSECTIVEROUS BIRDS.

W.T.. FeSSenden-I have noticed in vonr
New England Farmer several accounts of
the raVages of the canker worm this season.
Ana am inclined to believe this insect. as
Wei as some others, has been more nuner-
GUS In the county of Essex this season than
Tor many years. Now, Mr.. Editor. we are
told oy many people, we must tar our trees
and do many other things to preserve our
orchards from the ravages of the canker
worm, which, after all, it avails but little.
Inc insect increases in number yearly. But
tor my own part, think. were we to leave
on wantonly destroying our small singing
olrds, we should be less troubled with in
sects OF all kinds. It is fact well known
10 naturallsts, that small birds DESTROY an
almost incredible number of noxioug insects
The amlable and interchangeable ornithologist,
Alexander Wilson, who perhaps was better
acquainted with the habits of our birds than
any other person, when speaking of the
oturnus PreddtorluS, or red winged black
olrd, which, by the way, is by our farmers
cohsldefed the most mischievous of birds,
says, their food in spring and the early
part OF summer consists of grubworms, cat
erplllars, and various other larve, the silent
but deadly enemies of all vegetation, and
whose secret and insidious attacks are more
to be dreaded by the husbandman than the
combined forces of the whole feathered
tribes together, for these vermin the black
birds search with great diligence in The
ground at the roots of plants, in the orchards
and meadows, as well as among buds, leaves
and blossoms and for their known voracitv,
the multitudes of these insects which they
destroy must be immense
Let me illustrate this by a short computa-
ton. 1t we suppose each bird, on an aver
age to devour fifty of these Larvae in day,
a very moderate allowance) single pair In
tour months, the usual time such food is
sought after, will consume upwards of taOeLUe
thousand. 1t is believed that not less than
million pairs of these birds are distributed
over the whole extent of the United States
in summer; whose food being nearly the
same, would swell the amount of vermin
the number t Of young Bfr1ss may be taifIy
estimated at double that of their parents,
and as these are constantly fed on Larvae
for at least three weeks, making only the
same allowance for them as the old ones,
their share would amount to four thousand
t,Co hundred millions /; making grand total
Of Sirteen thousand tlOo hundred millions of
noxious insects destroyed in the space of
four months by this single species. The
combined ravages of such hideous host of
vermin would be sufficient to spread famine
and desolaton over wide extent of the
richest and best cultivated country on
earth.
All this, it may be said, is mere SUPPOSE
ton. 1t is, however, supposition founded
on known and acknowledged fact.
Mr.. Bradley, in his General Treatise on
husbandry and gardening, shows, " that 4
pair of sparrows, during the time the have
their young ones to feed, destroy on an
average, (every week. about three thousand
three hundred and Sirty caterpillars." This
calculation he founded on actual observa-
ton. And it is we'll known that several
kinds of our birds, such as the hirundo,
muScicapa, genera, and some others, feed
entirely on insects.
am fully persuaded, as long as farmers
and others permit boys to roam over their
fields and shoot down every small bird they
meet-as long as young men are in the
habit on our anniversaries, offorming them
selves into shooting parties, for the purpose
of destroying small birds, which they do in
immense numbers say as long as this
wanton destruction of birds is carried on,
we must expect innumerable hosts of nox-
ious insects will continue to commit depre-
dations ON our orchards, our fields, and our
gardens. Yours, respectfully,
Dancers, Jlly Is, 1923. F..