Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1866-07-31
For the Grant County HERALD.
Spare the Birds.
BROTHER COVER :

the promptness with which you ac-
ceded to my request to lay it before
your readers, have not only filed my
bosom with the warmest and liveli.
est emotions of gratitude but impels
me TO hasten to acknowledge the
obligation by thrusting another pa
per upon you requiring a similar IA
vor. | wish to call attention to the
very sad work the birds are making
with our fruit and berries. consid-
er them first class nuisance, more
obnGxious by odds than the potatoe
bugs, or any other bugs, except per-
maps chintz bugs, which last, thanks
be to the Lord, have taken them
selves off and we ought to pray Heav-
en- that these birds be permitted to
follow them. | know this is not the
popular side OF the bird question
and ara fully aware how fearful
thing it is to run counter to popular
Dta udce, but | am well nigh despe-
rate, ard am bound to take tilt at
chem any how, and if | find myself
tossed on t4e horns of public indig>
nation for my temerity | can't help
it. Doubtless / faight shield myself
from the wrath of the bird fancying
public, by skulkiug behind on alias,
but that is not my style so, relying
on the business Of my cause and the
purity Of my intentions, | shall take
an open manly course and strike for
bird determination without any dis
guise or subterfugo whatever.
1t is an heirloom Of a bygone age
Of superstition and bigotry, that
Robins. Blue birds, Thrushes, Bobo-
links, Sparrows, ii It omme genus
(Which is LATIN a44 means more Of
the same sort) are really public ben
efactors useful as well as QrnGmen-
tai and musical and that there is q
sort of sagacity about them which
should shield them from the fate that
usually awaits larger but less mis-
chevOus classes of the bird family
How ancient this delusiOn is | cannot
say but from my earliest childhood
to the present time has the cry OF
spare the birds been sounded in
NY ears. 1t has been and still is a
prolific theme for sentimental young
men end young women, and even
sober and sensible editors have from
time to time ground out long homi-
les, on the wickedness and bad poll
81 Of destroying birds Boys nave
u true sense of the value OF birds
and of their own duty in the premi
ses but when they shoot, or other
wise destroy one of these Grrant lit
tic thieves. they are held up to the
public gaze as objects of detestatlon,
and very likely gets q punishment
that if inflicted on the men who
shot our boys at the dead line at Belle
Isle and Andersonville, would be
charged 10y every eopperhead in the
land rs most horrible cruelty, at
least, such used to be the case when
we we're boys, as doubt not yon
very we'll remember.
Now it strikes me this is a very
mistaken sentiment, resting ON mel
Their reason nor common sense, tor
why should we spare the birds p
They are the very pests Of our fruit
gardens. Not 2 cherry noI frsp-
berry can fully ripen before these
rascals gobb.e them up, TO say moth
inc VI ths hovoo teaS- r,,ai," ~, -
entrants. and in NY case with the
meas also. which IL veXes me
more if possible, than ,he loss OF the
berries. Now what are We W 40
Arc we to 90 without berE9sE shan
we-not DESTROY birds ? Why mould
they bc spared ooh we are tod,
the birds pick up Fnd dcVour IN,
,eots but for then the bu5s ana
worms would rav4ge our fields lay
roste orr carde.s, ana make our or
|#ards dcsd2.el And then, ten
.bonces toone, if they don't 90 off
= q kin1ot ecstacy about the wis
dom al goodness Of Providence in
creatng birds to eat the worms that
eat ne fruit, gust as if he had not
Mo created the latter as well rs the
ormer and cared just as much for
the one rs he does for the other
Besides great deal Of high falutin
about thor melodlous notes, umbra
geous shades-sweet warblers, &c,
Now | shall only say OF the Wis
OOm OF IniS arrangement, W iH"p
VINO mas spent time and money in
fixing up Fruit garden. whose back
is crooked like rainbow with work
ing therein, who has planted, pushed,
aud hoed nice plantation OF peas,
and whose teeth are watering at the
prospect of delicate cherries and
sweet berries Of rich Marrowtat
peas and nice Blue Impcriala, whom
he goes forth TO gather the same and
finds nothing but bare vines and
empty pods, he can't see il and
unless he is uncommonly well tortiti-
ed with correct principles, is very
apt &c indulge in language far more
nervous than polite, or pioas, and
indicating Enthusiastically his belief in
warm place and his entire willing
ness that all the featbored tribes
should be sent there, and TO stay
Leastwise ii has that effect on the
people in this latitude
a writer in the July number of
Harper's Magazine has a long and
tolerably learned article on this sub
Ject, but neither his statements nor
conclusions arc ID keeping with the