The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1858-06-05


ing reward, so nearly sacred is the little bird
considered, in consequence of his love for
man nj confidence in his generos ty. No
such feeling is here entertained toward any
wild animal; nor is the kindness understood
which is extended by the mean st European
hind to every song-bi d, and to many spe-
C!es, such as the s:ork, the house martin,
and the wren, VIII ca have no charm, whether
OF voice, form, or plumagr, to recommend
them, nor any claim TO hospitality beyond
that which they derive from their undouOt-
ing trust in the humanity OF man. Here, on
the contrary, not only not 10 cherish, not TO
nurture, not to protect and domcstIca;e, but
not TO spare, is the e. Absolute and i'm
mediate destruction and eXtrpation OF every
living thing that is free and unclaimed Is the
first idea of the American squatters ard
backwoodsmen, of whom it may be SAID with
truth, S0titudnem .Jactuht pacem raca"t-
"they make a solitude and call it peace"
nor has the same taste for the wanton and
indiscriminate havoc not descended TO the
farmer, the cottager, and even town artizan
or village craftsman, and when he can
escape for an hour or two from the work
shop or the counter, even where cultivation
and civilization have made great progress,
and the other habits Of the rude settler and
frontersman have long passed INTO oblivion.
9TH The .Silciad9 or warblers, comprising
four genera, Of which the first has four sub
genera and tilty-eigh species, inculing, in
addition 10 the true warblers, the wrcnS,
crested wrcns, and blue-birdS. al these
are beautiful and famia- species; All arc
famous iusect-ki.eis, taking them both on
the wing, in some Of the varieties, with an
activity little inferior to that Of the true fly
catchers, and on the ground, or OH the
leaves and flowers, after the manner Of the
Xerut'dr, or thruses Sln. THc Certhtadg,
or creepers, comprising, in addition to the
true cTccpcr, the genus Of tt NICE, and har-
ing in all seven species, al notai le deyour-
ers Of the insects which pierce tie leaf and
irujt-suls, AMI the ?.ut Itself, as well a. OF
all the other craving and winged species
which they can take among the branches
and vines, or about the caves Of the thached
houses, barns, and barracks, not hunting
much on the wing. 9th. The Tlrc2riaH,
family which has no familiar English name,
bat Is closely ana agous 10 the warblers both
in form aud habits. II h six species, all
good friends to the farmer. 10th. The
PiPsa3@, a flrni'y winch, Ike the last, has
10 vermalG,ar name, comprising two genera
and three species, tie yellow Breasted chat,
the vase wing, and the cedar RI; these are
both insect and seed caters and are not only
innocent but useful in al country places
Al these families, i is true, wii, occasionally
attack ripe fruits and some kinds Of vc-cta-
bles, but tie little harm they work On these
is repaid fifty fo.i by the iucesSaut warfare
which they wage on al the insect tribes
IIth. The 1lIE3iEG. or larks, and l2th, the
friHgiNii0 or iincaes, the lat eT cou;alHE
ten genera, SIX sub-genera and sixty species,
- ! -
snow-b!rdS, the sea tinches, the linnets, the
buntincs, the lark buntings, the painted
buntiucs. the Co'dfuchts, tn 1und finch
eS, the pine grospeak, tie Gro. 5 pill, the lark
finch, the grosbeak. and the redbrls, or
tana-ers. These species are al principally '
seed eaters, and prefer the seeds OF useless
and uueatable weeds and berries, and some
varieties Of iuS; cts ; they are entirely inno-
cent o.! harm, while rendering considerable
service 10 the agr'cultu:S,. l3th. he
.TQ5atiT, o. stlliiaZs, t.rce genera, .Lrec
sub genera, and thirteen species, including
the orioles, the h0b-o-'ink, the o'acAbiId j.,
tie r-acG.c>, and the meadow Starl.r IS,
commonly known IS the meadow .a!ks--
Iais iam. = =, perhaps, that concerning
which there IS the most question as 70 it,
u.eig. OF uay'OuS qualities, since, although
in ,ae spring, while nesting, they are al
notable a.! yoraciUus insect killers. when
the crops are ripe some OF the species, as the
backt.r.., and graCkles, do ProIIgious exc
cution among the cereals of the North and
the rice fields Of the South. Still it is be-
lieycd that on the whole they are serviceable
rather than hurtfu', their destruction OF in
sect life more than coIn;erba,ancing their
devastation Of grain. At al events. they
Should be not only spared but encouraged
while rgcdng-aithoug there may lie no
objection 80 thinning their tiockS by the gun
in harvest tine-the rather that when killed
in the grain fields they afford both fat and
succu,-ut food. l4th. Tho C0rv5d1, or
crows. including the raven, the tue crows,
the mac1ies, the jays, and the nutcrackeTS-
OF tins family, a If the last, the qualities
are pretty equally bal auced, but on the
whole the good prevails as their carbon
consuming and grub digging propensities
orcrpay the flch'n- OF some corn and the
abduction of an &C ,as'onal chicken or duck
ling. 18th The sittiHG, or nuthatches,
purely inscctivorouS, and useful in high
degree as destroying the wood maggots and
those which attack nuts and kernels. 10th.
The trochUiiag, or hunIn'ng birds. entirely
innocent and beautiful, feeding only on the
honey OF flowers, and neither profitable nor
hurtful Their beauty and utter inutility
when killed should protect them. nth.
The gici3oe or woodpccbers, cXcellen. serv-
ants to the forester; never attacking timber
which IS not unsound, and II only in order
10 dig out the worms which produce and
propagate the unsonndncss. They may de-
struy small quantity of grain, especially
corn, and some fruit, but their destruction
of the tmber-perforatin insects largely
overpays their inreGds on grain and fruit
18th The cuculidq, or cuckoos, are almost
/ purely insectivorous, and, from their feeding
! on many of the most noXious larvae, are do
serving Of the highest degree of protection
from the farmer. 10Th. The pattacid@, OF
raralleets, are fruit and seed eaters, and may
be generally considered nuSances rather
than the reverse they devour greedily the
seeds of q very noxious southern weed, the
cockle-Lurr, and by sore persons have beer
held on that account wrfthy Of preserya
ton: but it is probab!. correctly argued
that in this respect the, d. as much harm
as good by ditfusing the seed as it is voidec
with their cXcrements.
OF all these nineteen families, containing
I o40 species, there are but two birds, tn
kingfisher and the parakeet, one OF which i
certainly, the other probably, noxious: ant
about dozen others, as the crow, the mag
pie, the blackbirds, and the grackles, o
which it may be questioned whether thei
good or evil qualities prsponderate. W
ourselves believe that "their good lives atte
, them" and that it is the wiser and NOR
merciful policy to spare them. OF all tn
others, which for the most part receive n
, more law nor mercy than wolf or ma
dog. it is certain that the death of every on
5 Injuries the farmer, in the first year by tn
L H,,f. -
his crops by the rayages of several million
, Of the most destructive insects, and in afte
f years by tie ravages of the arithmetlcall.
t increasing progeny Of those millions. OI
NAV certainly assume that every thrust
. a., c,tchar warbler or finch killed by th