The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1867-09-03
BIRDS AND TIE SERVICES THEY
RENDER.

BIRDS AND TIE SERVICES THEY
RENDER.
From book entitled "Ten Acres Enough"
be made to support very large family, we copy
the following chapter on birds:
at takes mankind great while to learn the
ways of Providence, and to understand that
things are better contriyed for him than he
contrive them for himself. Of late. the people
are beginning to learn that they have mistaken
the character of most Of the little BIRDS and
have not understood the object Of the Almighty
in creating them. They are the friends of
those who plant, and SOW, and reap. 1t has
been seen that they live mostly on insects, which
are among the worst enemies of the agricultur-
ist; and that if they take now and then grain
&C wheat, grape, a cherry, or a strawberry,
thew levy but small tax for the immense SER
vices rendered. In this altered state of things,
legislatures are passing laws for the protection
of little birds, and increasing the penalties to
be enforced upon the birdkilIers."
A farmer in my neighborhood came one day
to borrow gun for the purpose of killing some
yellow birds in his field of wheat which he said
were eating up the grain. l declined to loan
the gun In order, however, to crafty his Gu
riosity, l shot one of them, opened its crop, and
found in it two hundred weevils, and but four
grains of wheat, and in these four grains the
weevi had burrowcd This was most instruc
tive lesson, aud worth the life of the poor bird,
valuable as it was. This bird resembles the
canary, and sings finely One fact like this
affords an eloquen: text for sermonizins, for the
bepeft of the farmers aud others who may look
upon birds as inimicai to their interests. Every
hunter and farmer ought to know that there are
IL hat frInn Of
the farmer and gardener.
But if the subject Of the value of insect de-
stroyug birds has been so much overlooked in
this country, it is not so in Europe. 1t las
been brought formally before the French Sc
nate and is now before the French government.
Learned commissioners have reported upon ii,
anG it is by no means improbable that special
legislation will presently follow. The inquiry
has been conducted with an elaborate accuracy
characteristic of French legislation. Insects
and birds have been carefully classified accord
ing to their several species; their habits of feed
ing have been closely observed and the results
ascertsined and computed. 1t has been con-
cluded that by agency, save that OF little
birds, can the ravages of insects be kept down
There are some birds which live exclusively up
on insects and grubs, and the quantity which
| they destroy is enormous. There are others
which live partly on grubs and partly on grain,
doing some damage, but providing an abundant
compensation. A third class-the Birds of
Prey-are excepted from the category Of bene-
| factors, and arc pronounced, too precpitately
! we think, to be noxous, iuasmuch as they live
mostly upon the smaller birds One class is a
match for the other. A certain insect was found
| to lay 1000 eggs, but single tom-tt was found
to eat zoo, 900 eggs year. A swallow devours
about 543 insects day, eggs and all. A spar
rows nest, in the city of Paris, was found to
contain 700 pair of the upper wings of cock
chafers, though, of course, in such place food
of other kinds was procurable in abundance.
1t will easily be seen, therefore, what an excess
of insect life is produced when counterpoise
like this is withdrawn; and the statistics before
US show clearly to what an extent the balance
of nature has been disturbed. n third, and
wholly artificial class of destroyers has been in
troduced. Every chasseur, during the season,
kills, it is said, from 100 to 200 birds daily.
A single child has been known to come home
at night with 100 birds eggs, and it has been
calculated and reported that the number of
birds eggs destroyed annually in France is be-
tween 100000 aud 1O0,OC0,000 The re-
suit is, that little birds in that country are &C.
tually dying out; some species have already dis
appeared, and others are rapidly diminishing
But there is another consequence. The French
crops have suffered terribly from the super
abundance of insect vermin. Not only the va
rious kinds Of grain, but the vines, the olives,
and even forest trees, tell the same tale of mis-
chief, till at length the alarm has become serious
Birds are now likely to be protected; indeed
their rise in public estimation has beec sig nally
rapid. Some philosopher has declared, and the
report quotes the saying as profound one, that
"the birds can live without man, but man can
not live without the birds"
The same results are being experienced in
this country, and our whole agricultural press,
as we'll as the experience Of every fruit grower
and gardener, testi6es to the fact that our fruit
is disappearing as the birds upon our premises
are permitted to perish Every humane and
prudent man will therefore do his utmost to pre-
serve them.
| STATE NEWS.
PIEDMONT SpRINGs This excellent watering