Union County star and Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1859-1864, 1859-08-05
What the Birds Do.

What the Birds Do.
/ Farmers read over the list given below
Of what few families of birds are doing
every day for tho public good, and then
say honestly whether you don't know
several fellows in your neighbOrhood going
about with their guns who are really not
serving the community as well as the lit
tie feathcred families, celebrated by Mr..
G. NJ. CLAY, of Kentucky, in the follow
ing article, which be communicated to
the Country Gentleman of Albany, from
which We take it. Twenty-Five millions Of
caterpillars and insects destroyed in one
year on single farm of thirty acres, is a
pretty good years work. la that period
many well-kuown men, SO far from doing
any public or private good, ara really
spreading mischief by their business
they not y-quitc equal in amount to the
benefits conferred by the God-givsn in
stincts of the beautiful and useful birds
Mr.. Clay says:
"At daybreak l estimate that four hun
dred songsters break forth into one grand
jubilati9n of mingled song on my thirty
acres Of fruit and pleasure grounds.
Among these | note the cltbird, the bell
martin, the dove, lark, and quail, the
sparrow and humming bird, robin and jay,
the house porch and barn swallows, and
many varieties of orioles, woodpcckers,
sapsuckers, &c. To-day, my mind run-
ming upon the use of birds, | took my po-
sition about fifteen feet from the nest of
an oriole, built in the top of peach tree
twelve feet high, to observe their habits.
The nest is formed Of blades of blue grass,
worked into basket form on the limbs Of
the peach tree acting as braces. This va
rety has the female of dusky blush yell
low-the male biackheaded and blackish
wings, with II brck-dust or robin red
breas, color on the breast and sides.
There are four young ones well 1edged,
which every now and then stand upon the
edge of the nest and try their wings. |
lay upon the green sward a long time and
observed the movements of the parents,
with my watch in hand. They made
visit about every four minutes, on an av-
eragc, varying in time fsom two to six
minutes. They would light upon the
black locust tree, the vine, the grass, and
other places, clingiDg at times TO the most
delicate and extreme poiat Of the leaves.
[ observed plainly green ani brown grass
hoppers, catcrpillars, and smaller flies,
sometimes ono aud sometimes as many as
six were plainly fed to the young ones,
whose heads | could see above the
nest They would also carry back the re-
fuse litter from the nest, dropping it fifty
or more yards off; which same thing |
saw the brown thrush, which has a nest
in climbing rose about forty yards of,
also doing, they having four young ones.
INSECTS.
" birds maxine c'sit "~ery . rrinutrs-I in ,
CO minutes divided by go visits hour. |
WORDS ayerdrr-l,J worms 10 the hour.
q wOrkinc hours 80 = day.
2pO pairs on the CrounIS-lil.Go0 a day.
200 pairs in aUd1y 81, 40, too q month.
.un pairs in nonths-jjj,6 6Co.OO0.
20 pairs old ones do. 10y 2-1U1, 100000.
400 crows, do. hy 2do.-I,tli,iO10pO
i'D 10 eating tlulcS. ~ i-'-t'1' .t-iu.fN'
Crows and birds tysether-G, ,ioi, 100000.
Double the estimate Of birds and crows,
which | think fair GU my farm, aud We
have 6,3Gi, 500, ,000x-25, ,i59 200, 00o
"That is to say, twenty five billions four
hundred and ility-ninc millions and two
hundred thousand catcrpillars and other
insects destroyed in one year, Ii these
estimates seem large, we must remember
that the circulation and respiration Of
birds are extremely rapid and Of course
the consumption Of food rapid in pro
portion.
"IIere is no 'siekly sentimentality, but
plain economical facts, based upon obsor-
ration. Shall We spare the crows AMI
other birds a little corn and fruit? or shall
We kill them, and revive the fanines of
The East and the ravages Of other days .
Shall VIC fire on them in tho morning, or
Join in their universal jubila'ion ~
If prison statistics can be taken as evi- ;
Hence, rogucs are rapidly increasing in the ;
United States The State Prison of lad, (
ana, at Jeffcrsonville, is fall to overflow
nG 1t contains five hundred and twenty
me conyicts. The State Prison at Co
umbus, Ohio, and at Auburn and Sing
Sing, New York, are also crowded. The
Western Poui.entilry at Pitt4brrg j. liAt :
Use full, 4ad Is 70 be ep,a!tsd IL eide. ~ 3
cccmmcLa;e tbs boar cJr 1i - ezTcnsa :
. " 80 2