The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1859-08-11
syhat the Birds DO.


(Rarmers, read over the list given be-
jow of what few families of birds are
'oing every day for the public good, and
Ihen say honestly whether you don't
know several fellows in your neighbor-
;going aboat 9th their gphs who
lily not serving the community as
well as the little feathered families, cele-
brated by Mr.. C. NJ. Clay, Of Kentucky,
in the fplloHing article; Yhleh he commu-
nicated to the Country Gentleman of Al
bany, from ghich we take it. Twenty
five billions of caterpillars and insects
destroyed in one year on single farm of
thirty acres is pretty good years work.
bat period many weil-known men, so
from doing any public or private good,
realIy spreading mischief by their
aess-are they not ?-quite equal in
mt to the benefits conferred by the
- given instincts Of the beautiful and
" " ii birds ED. JOURNAL,
tAt daybreak estimate that four hun
ed songsters break forth into one grand
bilation of mingled song on my thirty
-.res of fruit and pleasure grounds
Among these | note the cathird, the
thrush, the blue, black, and red birds, the
bell martin, the doYe, lark, and quail, the
sparrow and hummiGg bird, robin and jay,
the house porch and barn swallows, and
many varieties of orioles, woodpeckerS,
sapsuckers, &c. To-day, my MUD run
ming upon tho Use of birds, ! took my po-
sition about fifteen feet from the nest of
on 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
variety has tho female of ky blush
yellow-the male black k-headcd and black
ish wings, with brick-dust or robin red
breast color on the breast and sides.-
There are four young ones we'll aedged,
which every now and then stand upon the
edge of the nest aud try their wings. l
lay upon the green sward long time and
observed the movements of the parents,
with my watch in hand They made a
visit about every four minutes, on an av-
erage, varying in time FROM two to six
minutes. They would light upon the
black locust tree, the vine, the grass, and
other places, cinging at times to the most
delicate and extreme point of the leaves.
I observe plainly green and brown grass
hoppers, caterpilars, and smaller flies /;
sometimes one and 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 refuse lit
ter from the pest, dropping it fifty or more
yards off! which same thing l saw the
brown thrush, which has a nest in a
climbing rose about forty yards off, also
doing, they having four young ones.
INSECTS.
2birds making visit every minutes
90 minutes divided by 80 visits in an
worms on On aTeTage-l 20worms to the
hour.
6 working hours-720 day.
zoo pairs On the grornds-l44, ,OC0 a day.
200 pairs IN 30 days, ,42O 600 month.
200 pairs in 8 months-353, 500, 600.
900 pairs old ones, do, by 2-707, 200 900
4Q9 crows, do, by dol ,4l4, 400, 600.
400 do. eating times, by Is ,657 500 900
Crows and birds t9gether-6, ,364, 800, OOO
Double the estimate of birds and crows,
which | think fair on my farm, and we
have 6,364, ,800,000x-25, ,459, 10000
"That is to say, twenty-five billions
four hundred and ffty-nine millions and
two hundred thousand caterpillars and
other insects destroyed in one year! Il
these estimates seem large, we must re-
member that the circulation and respira
tion of birds are extremely rapid aud Of
lrse the consumption of food rapid il
2portioa.
Here is no 'siokly sentimentality,
1t plain economical facts, based upor
lservation. Shall we spare the crow.
other birds little corn and fruit o.
ALL we kill them, and revive the fam
nes of the East and the ravages of othe
days? Shall we fire on them in the morn
ing, or join in their universal jubilatlon?
SMUT - PICKING SEED WHEAT. = Smu
in wheat is caused by parasitic fungus