Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1869-05-21
ROBINS INDISPENSABLE TO THE
FARMER
BY THOMAS N. BREWER.

The mischief which birds do is often
of daily occurrence, is open, palpable,
and not to be gainsaid. And yet these
very birds are often really our greatest
benefactors. Let US take up first for
our consideration the Robin. Where
Will you find, hereabOut, one more
complained of, more generally de-
.nounced, than he3 Is he not, BY COM
mon consent, pronounced by most Of
our fruit-grOWers the pest of hOrticul-
turists? Does he not steal u cher
ries, plumber our strawberries, strip
our curTant-bushes, Pilfer raspber-
ries, help himself to our choicest
grapes, and, if we have some rare
Shepardia berries, viii not he glutton
take the whole !? And does he not,
some one win add, attack and spoil our
handsomest pears? In reply to h
last charge we cannOt respond ahrma-
lively. We do not believe it, and if
it were true, we would say to WhoeYer
made this charge my dear sir, it on
" serves you right. You should not
leave summer pears on the tree long
enough to become so soft as to tempt q
bird to peck at them. Your fruit should
have been gathered when 50 hard that
no bird could modest IT. and thus you
would have saved your pears and i'm
proved their quality ~ But We are
getting off our track, and will return
to the Robin.
With the exception of the pear aeeu-
sation, which we believe to be bosh, we
admit the truth of all these charges
but what thenP What do they prove?
SimpIv that the worst traits in the
| character of the Robin are those which,
unfortunately for his reputation, are
the most apparent, and which are
brought home to the notice of all who
have fruit to be plundered, while his
beneficial deeds escape the general b
servation. The Robin is emtnent1y
G@a -~HO AnTT~hE IN dnTWam
good by stealth, but alas! he is very
rarely put to the blush by finding it
fame. The world, as q general thing,
is but too prompt to recognize the mis-
chief he does, but knows little or moth
ing of his good deeds, far Overbalanc-
ing his faults.
Fortunately for the reputation of the
Robin, careful and faithful friends
have looked into his record, and the
result of their Investigations proves
him to be an invaluable friend to the
farmer, and demonstrate by i~ndisputa-
BILE evidence, that his services are Of
an indispensable importance Nearly
eleven years since, b very same gem
/ tleman who this last summer signaliz-
ed his imperfect knowledge of birds by
protesting against the European Spar
rows coming to Boston, becauseit was
not an insect-eater at q meeting of the
Massachusetts, horticultural Society
introduced a motion in favor of the
presentation of a petition to b State
legislature, in the name of the So
ciety, praying for the repeal of all leg
islation f0rthe protection of the Robin
After an animated discussion, in which
it was shown that the Robin was not
even then without strong friends, the
Society, instead of adopting the mo
1 ton, very wisely voted to look into
the matter before they thus committed
! themselves, and referred the whole
subject of the habits of the Robin to a
select committee, who were desired to
make a very thorough investigation.
Fortunately at the head of this COM
mittee was placedJ. W.P. jerks, Esq,
friend of the bird. He entered upon
his duties with at alacrityaand an in
terest, and completed them Witha hdel-
ity aud q thorOughness that reflect up
l on him the highest credit. The leisure
4 hours Of an entire yea were devoted
/ by this gentleman to a careful and
minute Investigation Of the subject
committed to his charge. Day by day,
and at all hours of the day, he pro-
cured specimens of the birds for the
purpose of carefully examing the con-
tents of their several stomachs, for
evidences of the general character OF
their food. Robins were thus obtained
by him, both from the villages and
from the more rural districts, apart
from gardens and orchards. Beginning
Il Will GAO 14GN VIVA III 449ACAg AGoCa
these examinations were continued,
with o or less frequency, until the
same month of the succeeding year. i.
Confning ourselves here to such per-
tions of the results as may have. q di-
rect bearing upon the points we seektO
establish, we find that Professor jerks
has demonstrated, among other things,
that during the whole of March, April,
and May not 3 particle Of vegetable
matter of any kind whateYerceuld be
| found in the food of the. Robins. In
lsects, in large quantities, varying
greatly as to kind, condition, and de-
Velopment, were during all these
months their sole and exclusive food.
The IarYe Of a speies of fly known to
~naturalists as the Bibio GEbIpeHnis of
Say, formed a large proportion of the
contents of their stomaehs. Not un-
frequently as many as two hundred of
these insects, in this stage of develop
ment, were taken from q single bird
and for the most part wherever any
were found they were the only food in
the birds stomach.-AHSntic Monthly