The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1867-06-28
From nua.orNew Enslnad and Adincenl STATE.
Birds Ably Defended.
BY EDwARD-A. sANUrLs

Perhaps none oil our BIRDS arc moro
unpopular with horticulturists than
the robin; aud | will here give the oh
scrvations of different scientific men,
and my own, to show that the preiu-
dice against the bird is unjust and un-
founded. Mr.. Trouvolot, Of Medford
Mass, who is engaged in rearing silk
worms, for the production of silk, is
troubled by the robin to II degree sur
passing most other birds He has II
tract of about seven or eight acres en-
closed, aud mostly covered with net
ting. He is obliged, in solf-dcfcnse, to
kill tho birds which penetrate into the
enclosure and destroy the worms
Through the season, probably ten rob
ins, for one of all others, thus modest
him; and, of scores of these birds
which he has opened aud examined,
none had any fruit or berries in their
stomachs nothing but insects. 1t is
to be understood that this was not in
were umipe: on the contrary. it was
all through the season. His land is
surrounded with scrub oaks and buck
leberry bushes. These latter we've
loaded with fruit, which was easier OF
access to the birds than the worms (;
but none were found in them He
says they came from all quarters to
destroy his silkworms, and gave him
more trouble than all the other birds
together. He said, that in his opinion,
if the birds were all killed oft, vegeta-
ton would be entirely destroyed. TO
test the destructiveness Of these ma
rauders, as lie regarded them, he
placed on small scrub-oak near his
door two thousand of his sillIworms.
(Thcse, let me say, resemble, when
small, the young caterpillar Of the APP
ple-tree moth. In II very few days
they were all eaten by cat-birds and
robins birds closely allied and of the
same habits. This was in the berry
season, when an abundance Of this
kind of food was accessible; but they
preferred his worms. Why? Be
cause tho young of these, rs well
those of most other birds, must be fed
on animal food Earthworms assist in
the regimen; but how often can birds
like the robin, cat-bird, thrush, &c
get these Any farmer knows that
when the surface of the ground is dry,
( they go to the subsoil out of the reach
of birds; aud it is not necessary to say
here what portion of the time the
ground is very dry through the sum
mer Cateipilnrs, giubs of various
kinds, and insects, therefore constitute
the chief food of these birds; aud o.
these, caterpillars and grubs being til.
post abundant and most easily caught
furnish, of course, the larger proper
/ ton.
In fact, the thrushos seem designed
by nature to rid the surface of the soil
of noXious insects not often pursued
by most other birds. The warblers
capture the insects that prey on tbs
foliage of the trees, the flycatchers
seize these insects as they fly from the
trees; the swallows capture those
which have escaped all these; the
woodpeekers destroy them when in the
larya state in the wood; the wrens
nuthatches, titmice and creepers cal
the eggs and young that live on and
beneath the bark; but the thrushes
subsist on those that destroy the yoge,
tation on the surface of the earth
They destroy nearly all kinds of grubs
caterpillars and worms that live upon
the greensward and cultivated soil
and large quantities of crickets ana
grasshoppers before they have become
perfect insects. The grubs OF locusts
the harvest-ilies and of beetles, which
are turned up by the pillow or hoe, and
their pupn when merging from til,
soil; apple-worms when they leave tho
fruit and crawl about in quest of new
shelter; and those subterranean cater
pillars, the cutworms, that come out
OF the earth to take their food, al
these, and many others, are eagerly
deyoured by the robin aud other
thrushes. The cutworms emerge from
the soil during the night to seek fol
food; and the robin, which is ons' oil
the earliest birds TO go abroad in the
morning, is very diligent at the dawn
of day in hunting for these yermin be.
fore they have gone back into their re
treat. The number of these destruc
tive grubs is immense whole corn.
fields, says Dr. Harris, are sometimes
laid waste by them. Cabbage plants
till they are grown to II considerable
size, are very apt to be cut off and de.
stroyed by them. Potato vines, beans
beets and various other culinary plants
suffer IN the same way. The services
Of the robins, in destroying these
alone, would more than pay for all the
fruit they devour, Indeed, during The
breeding season, a robin is seldom seen
without having in hia mouth one Of
these caterpillars. or snme similar
grub, which lie designs for his young
and as the robin often raises thres
broods of Young during the season, hi.
species must destroy more Of this elias
oil noxious insects than almost all 9th
or birds together In my own garden
ing experiences, | have had my ful