The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-04-21

.se foregoing ssses - - 80 -''s> 'ss'''
10 the true wartcrs the wrcns crested wrcns and blue
birds All these beautiful and familiar species all
are famous insect klcm taking them both on the wing
in the varieties. with activity little inferior to
that of the true hycatchers, and on the grouAd,
the lea YES and flowers after the manner Of the Mnis
thrushcs sth The Crtha1r, orccfess, conlpris-
ing in addition 10 the true creaper, ths genus Of tit
mioe and having in all spoCcs al notxfr desour
OF theinsects which pierce the leaf and halthudh
and the fruit ITSELF well Of all the other crawling
and winged species which they take among the branches
and yincs about the OF thatched houses barns
and barracks, not hunting much on the wing 9Th The
Freorine, family which hus familiar English name
but is closely analogous to the warbe both In form and
habits 1t has six species all good friends to the farmer
10th. The P,prdar, family which, like the last, has
vernaciar name, comprising two genera and three spe
cies the yellow breasted chat the wing and the
cedlrbrd these both insect and seed catcrs and
not only innocent but useful In all country places
All these families it is true will occasionally attack ripe
fruits and kinds of vegetables, hut the little
harm they work these s repaid dfy fold by tho nces
SAINT warfare which they wage all the insect tribes
1lth The Aaadne, or larls, and 18th, the EaSHsde,
nches the latter containing ten genera, SIX sub
genera and sixty species incAadng the true fnches and
sparrows the birds the hnches the lnnes the
buntings the lark buntngs, the painted buntgs the
goldnches the ground dnches the pine grosbeak the
crossb the lark nch the grosbeak, and the redbirds,
nagcrs These species all principally seed eaters,
and prefer the seeds Of useless and ueatablo weeds and
berie and varieties of insects they entirely
innocent Of HARM while rendering considerable service
to the agrculturst 18th. The Swnidc, or starlngs,
three genera three subgenera and thirteen species, I'M
cludng the orioles, the bob-olink tho backbirs the
grackles and the meadow starlings commonly known
the meadow larks This nmily H. Perhaps that
corning which there il the question It's use
noxous qualities, SINCE although in the spring. while
nesting they all notable and voracfous insect killers
when the crops ripe of the speeches. the black
birds and graclles do prodigous execution among the
cereals of tue North and the rce-fclds Of the South Still
it is believed that the whole they arc scvicoble
rather than hurtul, their destruction Of insect life
than counerbalancins their devastation Of grain. AT
all events, they should be not only spared but
couraged while breeding although there may be
objection to thinning their focks by the gun in harvest
time the rather that when killed in the grain fields
they afford both fat and succulent food. 18th The
Cordr, crows including the raven tho true crows,
the magpes, the jays, and the nutcnckcs OF this
family as of the last, the qualities pretty equal
ly balanced, but the whole the good prevails,
their carrion- consuming and ubdgging propens
ties oyerpay the fchng of some and the abduc-
tion of an occasional chicken or duckiing 18th The
snc nut-hatchcs purely almost purely nscctivo
and useful in high degree as destroying the wood
maggots and those which attack nuts and kernels 18th
The tochiG humming birds, entirely innocent and
beautiful, feeding only the honey OF hOwefs and
neither profitable hurtful Their beauty and utter In
utility when killed should protect them nth. The
pd woodpeckers excellent servants to the forester
attacking timber which is not unsound and II only
in order TO dig out the worms which produce and
propagate the rnsoundncss. They may destroy small
their destruction of the timber perfoang insects largely
overpays their nroads on grain and fruit. 18th. The
cncdd cucoos almost purely insectivorous, and
from their feeding many Of the most noxous Arym,
deserving of the highest degree of protection from the
farmer 10th. The pattdcidr parrakects, fruit
and seed caters, and may be generally considered nu
rather than the they cvour grccdy the
seeds of very noxous southern weed, the cocklcburr
and by persons have been held on that account
worthy of preservation but 1t b probably CORRECTLY
argued that in this respect they do ~ much harm
good by dnsng the seed as 1t il voidcd with their
creTnents. tay Htfles i4 ElNF eN M 88tt 1ts@
Of all these nineteen families containing 24O species
there but two BIRDS the kngsher and the parrakect
Of which is certainly, the other probably, noxous
and about dozen Others the the magpic the
backbrs and the grackles of which 1t may be question:
ed whether their good evil qualities prepondcratc We
ourselves believe that thcr good lives after them and
that it is the WISER and merciful policy to spare
them OF all the Others which for the most part receive
more law mercy than wolf or mad dog, It is
certain that the death Of every Injuries the farmer in
the first year. by the amount of damage which be in
hcted his crops by the ravagcs of several millions of
tho most destructive insects and in after years by the
ravages of the arthmetlly increasing progeny Of those
millions One may certainly assume that every thrush,
tycatchcr warbler, finch killed by the farmer In any
year, costs him in that year several bshes of grain fruit,
would have destroyed and in other succeeding years
increasing loss which Is beyond calculation 30 much for
the murder preservation of song birds
feg j s.44 as9
The offices Of the United States circuit and district
courts and of the marshal for the northern district of
Illinois, will shortly be removed TO oommodous and
elegant apartments in Chicago than they have hereto
fore occupied They will remain at these apartments
til the government buildings completed, which