The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1865-04-13

thousand
and tens Of thousands Of our enemies Is he 70
this ent tied to our friendship? know he is thief
of bird in cherry time, and sometimes spoils on
incest apples but does he more than pay 70
these in catching milIers and curculi5s? Who la.
not observed him. quietly perehed the top Of som,
elevated object, darling every and then into The
ar, and quickly returning his base Of supplies,
and woe betide any ucess insect that with
in his lines"
But there is another bird less familiar and tho
plainly clad a dress OF cerule4n blue Is far more
deserving Of our kind regard 1t OF this bird the
Poet sang
when winters cold tempests and are no more,
Green meadows and brown iurr,wed fells reapPesr
The fishermen hauling their TO tue shore,
And oui-eleavIng gees u the North st steer
When iirst the low butterfly fits on tn, wing,
hen red CLOVIS the maple, 50 fresh AMI 50 pleasing
oii then comes tue BlueOird, tue herald OF spring,
ana halls, with lbs warDiings the charms Ol tine
son"
believe the Blnebird enjoys spotless reputation,
and there is such a touch sweetness and innocence
IN is twiterng song that the school-boy
| viii hardly modest IL 1t might be made much more
familiar about houses, if we would provide boxes
Tor IT t" bni!d in. Few birds show greater attach
ment for their mates. A close observer has thus
written Of the male Biuebird He the tenderest
expressions, sits close by the side his mate and
seated together if he espes insect delicious to her
taste, he takes it up flies with it her spreads his
wings over her, and puts it into her mouth"
But what shall | say of the Humming Bird 1t is
the least and may add, the greatest Of all the
ieatbered tribes Three hundred aud ten species are
known to exist on the American continent, and the
Islands OF the sea, but the only familiar TO u.s. is
the Ruby throat. The common impression i thatthe
hnmming Bird feeds entirely the extracts
from flowers but there is little doubt that large por-
ton OF ITS food consists of very small insects Hav-
ing little fear OF man, il suffers approach almost
within reach Of it, as it fits from flower to flower
Actually smaller and lighter than some of the insect
tribes-clad in dress that gtters in the sunlight.
with all the brancy of the ruby the fiery lustre of
the topaz, and the soft sparkling Of the sapphire The
emerald and the amethyst" moving its tiny wings
Win rapdity that renders them almost invisible and
iartng from flower to flower with the swiftness Of an
arrow, there is scarcely in all animated nature an OBJ
ect of greater admiration. 1t is indeed one of the
wonderful works of God"
cannot omit fir m my list, familiar and interest
ng bird as the Swallow. Ny youthful fancy that
he Chimney Swallow, which is said to be more prop
rly swift never lights, is almost literally true at
east have never it perched tree or building
ike other birds. One of the most pleasing rec,Iec
ions OF my childhood is of watching their ceaseess
gyratIons, and listening 70 their twtterings of joy
he Swallow will sometimes so close to the
lower, IN quest of insects disturbed by the falling
rass as almost to touch him with the tips of his wings
he Barn swallow, is believed to possess greater !
'wers Ct flight, than any other bird. II was the /
'in'on OF Wilson, that its ordinary speed is about
he mile per minute. and on this he bases cacula-
IN TO show over wha, extent ground in a straight
re, our little friend would glide during Lis short life
lowing ten hours of each day as the time occupie, :
His /
this estimate, he will, during the years of his /
isence, have passed the incredible space of
900 miles, or 81 times the circumference of the
pbe r
But cannot speak thus in detail la an essay like
3 OF one half of the birds that cheer homes and
'tect our crops in this part of the country and
st therefore leave unnotced the Meadow Lark the
ole, the Wren, the Redstar the Tanager, the Pewee
snow bird the Martini the Indigo bird, the Cedar
!, and many others no less deserving, than those
noned, place in our highest estimation x
I'D time and space permit M, would here insert 6
paragraphs on the variety of form and wonderful II
kmanship of the nests of birds, but as many =,
fences must suffice. The Intellectual power and a,
hecturai skill of man, enable him perform the 90
u wonderful things lie measures the distances T
'ne stars weighs the Earth as in balance talks ~
ms friends on distant continents, erects edfces =;
'se workmanship and stupendous dimensions be- re
'er the ordinary mind, and spans the broadcast ST
RS with fairy like bridges that vibrate to the storm
a SPIDERS web in the morning sun, and vet were he
ttempt structure such as the swallow builds
~ spring under the of his barn. or in which P'
oroie rides securely to and fro, during the raging
he tempest, he would be likely to make failure lie
wonderful IS the instinct of the little bird which 81
Dies II TO make for itself domic so precisely vi
pied o ITS wants, and one of such exquisit and as
riess workmanship. And yet of the almost endless On
ETY. OF birds, scarcely two make their nests pre- ,
ly alike. And while every species at the present At
as some writer has well observed, makes its
after the precise pattern of that of its Anteli D"
an ancestors, without addition or Improvement ca
nevertheless recorded fact that the older ones '
ONE species construct their nests more skillfuy u'
those of fewer summers, and consequently less
rience. Is
VIII now introduce another branch of NV subject "
hich, perhaps. we interested, because it
IS our pockets and palatcs. Birds are not merely -,
tul. interesting. and instructive beyond most OBJ ~
IN nature but they are our best friends in a more 60
tantial way. In fact they ind spensibe to the
arvation OF our fruits and grain and our trees mi
And it may be a question for Of
us investigation, whether if God had made no wa,
;, the insect tribes might not in time oyerrun {
ion and become intolerahle nuisance both TO not
aud beast. At the great International Exhibition An
'ndon the stomachs of 20 kir ds of the common I
of Europe were shown, by which was demon fou
cd the fact that the majority OF them feed largely DIRE
llmal food. Even the mschieyious black bird and mn,
5 many enemies in this country, is proved to be an
eater during the greater part OF the year The ner
ach Of this bird contained in january aud Feb fine
seeds spiders chrysaliis; March worms, rect
;, buds of trees Apr-insects, worms srubs The
the same and cockchafers; June the same in c
ruit July, August and Septcmber-all sorts f. in a
Is and fruits october-Srubs OF butterflies and tins
Is, November and December-seeis and chrvsal- h. b
Am. Agricuturist, Professor Treadwell of max
ridge, Mass. in a mnuncaton TO the Boston
-al History Society relates facts. of the re-
of experiments a Robin Relbrcast 1T ap-
that though the birds food was increased on
It'll day to 40 worms, weighing 20 dwts. (one
} the weight fell off: and II was not until the
lay, when heate IS worms. or 81 dwts. that he
20 increase In this day the weight of the bind At
dwts he therefore IL per ssas Ii. daily
righf Al II hpars. The length of these worms il rr
nd TO end would be about IL feet or teu sisss. the