The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1845-08-15
The pc.,ruc,ion Of Rirds.

In Mr.. Peabody's Repor. on Birds of
Massachusetts, is the following passage
exhibiting the impropriety of their heart
less destruction, for the mere pleasure OF
the sportsman:
at is, however, in the light Of utility,
tina, this subject can be mos, forcibly pre-.
scented; and it will be seen that to exter.
inmate birds which do little harm occa-
sionalIy, is to protect ourselves from a
small evil at the expense of a greater; it
is in fact securing the frui, a, the sacrifice
Of the tree. There is no question that we
are now suffering severely in consequence
of this folly. No kind Of cultivation is
affected TO any considerable extent by the
depreciation Of birds and, if il should be
means may be devised 10 prevent them.
No, SO with the insects and their ravages
the fate of the locust, the apple, the pear
and many other trees. shows, That if in.
sects fasten themselves upon one ofthem
we must give il up as lost, for all that we
al present know. Surely then, of two
evils we should submit 10 the one which
may possibly be prevented, rather than
invite and encourage one over which we
have no control.
A slight calculation will show what an
amount Of service birds are able to render.
Wilson makes the computation, that each
red winged black bird devours on an ave-
rage so grubs day; so that a single pair
in four months, will consume more than
twelve thousand. Allowing that there
are million pairs of these birds in N.
England in summer, which is but mod
crate estimate, they would destroy ~
thousand millions. let any ono consid-
err what an immense injury that number
Of insects would do, and this would be
sufficiently striking to show how much
we are. indebted TO the labors of these
birds. But the computation may be
greatly extended, for many insects have
young by the hundred; besides cutting
off The existing destroyers, they are pre-
vented from multiplying; and when we
consider what myrads of birds there are,
constantly and efficiently engaged in this
service, il gives an impression, beyond
the power of calculation to reach OF the
astonishing manner in which the increase
Of insects is kept down, simply by spa
ring the lives Of their natural deslroyers ;
and this il must be remembered, is the
only means of preventing their increase
and reducing their formidable numbers.
No other remedy that man ~ apply will
reach the evil this is the vocation OF
birds; and if for the sake of removing a
small evil, we will not permit them to
live and labor in it, we mus!not complain
if the natural consequences come.
This is not mere speculation; we have
experience TO teach us on the subject. -
Mr.. Kahn records, that after some states
had paid three pence dozen for The de-
struclion of blackbirds, the consequence
was total loss in the year l749 of all
the grass and grain by means of insects
which had hourished under the protection
Of that law. The example of our trees,
Just alluded to, is also standing warning ;
for we see that new ones are adding TO
their numbers. The maple. perhaps the
most valued of our ornamental trees. is
now marked ont for destruction, and in
spite Of all WE can do will soon be entirely
lost. There is nothing TO prevent this
process going on; others trees will soon
swell the list Of victims and when it is