Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1862-03-19
NAYuRAI HISTORY,
Birds and Insects.


At the late agricultural meeting at ST.
Gallen in Switzerland, Baron Won Tschudi,
the celebrated Swiss naturalist, dwelt on
the important services of birds in the de-
struction of insects. Without birds, said
he, no agriculture and vegetation are pos
sihle They accomplish in few months
the profitable work of destruction which
millions of human hands could not do half
SO well in as many; and the sage therefore
blamed in very severe terms the foolish
practice of destroying birds, which prevails
more especially in Italy, recommending, on
the contrary, the process of alluring birds
into gardens and cornfclds.
Among the most deserving birds he
counts swallows, fnchcs, tituice, redtails,
sc. The naturalist then cites numerous
instances in support of his assertion. In
a flower garden of one of his neighbors
three tall rose trees had suddenly been COW
cred with about 1000 tree lice At his
Recommendation a marsh titmouse was To-
Gated in the garden, which in q few hours
consumed the whole brood, and left the ro-
ses perfectly clean. 4 redtail in a room
was observed to catch about 900 flies in an
hour. A couple Of night swallows have
been known to destroy whole swarm of
gnats in fifteen minutes a pair Of golden
crested wrens carry insects as food to their
nestllngs upon an average thirtysix times
an hour. For the protection of orchards
and woods, titmice are of invaluable service.
They consume, IN particular, the eggs Of
the dangerous pinespider One single fe-
male Of such spiders frequently lays from
600 to 500 eggs, twice in the summer sea-
son, while a tItmouse with her young ones
consume daily several thousands of them
Wrcns, nuthatches and woodpeckers often
dexterousiy fetch from the crevices of tree.
bark, numbers Of insects for their nestlincs.
In 1913 an immense swarm OF caterpil.
lars, of the we'll known genus Bom6ar dis
par had destroyed all the tree leaves in the
orchard Of Count CaSimus WadziLi, who
observed the stems and branches coated as
1t were with q heavy crust of millions Of
eggs surrounded by hairy skin. He en-
ployed scores Of hands to scrape them off
but to no avail, and the trees were about
to decay. Luckily, towards the winter.
numerous flights Of titmice and wrens fire.
fuented that part and it was soon percejy.
ed that the nests of the caterpill4rs were
YlsiIly diminishing. In the spring time
about twenty pairs of titmico made their
nests IN the garden, and in the course of
summer they had cleared the trees of all the
eatcrpillars.
NJ. Tschudi considers sparrows to be very
useful birds, as one single pair usuaIIv car.
ry to their nest every day about 800 cat
erpillars, an advantage that amply compen-
safes for tie cherries the birds steal in the
garden Owls also consume, morning and
evening, vast numbers Of wood insects -
Some species of birds, such as starlings,
Jaekdaws rocks, jays, and speckled magpies.
are distinguished for DESTROYING NAV bugs
or coekchafcrs. White, of Selbornc. who
devoted some time to the observation of the
movement OF a pair of common harm owls
found, among other things, that thew often
carried to their nest mouse every Ave min
utes; while another pair Of great owls had
carried to their nest IN one evening in June
no less than eleven mice Most of the
smaller birds feed, either entirely or par.
italy, especially during the Matching season
on insects, worms, snails, spiders, &c SC
do also hedge sparrows, wood peckers
thrushes, fly catchers, { (.nuscicapus,) } wag-
tails, larks, &c.
Without these useful birds obnoxious
insects would increase in such masses as to
become permanent plague in Europe, and
destroy all fruit and vegetation, like the 10.
Gust IN the east and the farmer, in bal.
anclng the gain and loss accruing from
these useful birds, ought to consider the
latter IN the light of domestic servants,
%nose cost of keeping is amply repaid By
their services. y