Connecticut western news., 1875-04-16

00G 40euA AANS.-AN GDlIOh-4 was glad to see your brief item concerning the early destruction of birds in the last weeks NEws, and think more should be said about the importance of the preservation of these cheering harbengers of spring.
 Almost every day we see boys and men with guns, tramping about the fields, shoot ing the little birds that come among us as harbengers of spring. As surely we know that winter is past and spring has come, when we hear their songs and see them among us, as Noah and his family knew the earth would not be destroyed with deluge when the Almighty sat the "bow in the clouds for sign and covenant.
 The little birds are blessing bestowed upon us that we cannot too highly prize. They are sent amongus to.stay plaguet hat would as surely come, were they all destroyed, and be as terrible in its consequences as the plague of locusts was to the Egyptians, for holding the children of Israel in bondage.
 To illustrate, can do no better than
 
 report of Prof. Perkins of Vermont, to the State board of Agriculture, on the forest birds. He says:-" Probably very few persons have any idea what the state of things would be if birds were all destroyed other things remaining as they now are. There are in the state probably not less than 800 species of the Sepldopterous insects, G' e., the moths and butterfies) and each female lays on an average $50 eggs per year, but we will say 300. Nov suppose in 1870 there existed but one pair of each species, there would be during the year 24O,OOO eggs produced which would develope into 24O, 900 catterpillars. If half of these were females we would have 12O,- 900 pairs of insects which would produce 36, ,ooo, ,OoO catterpillars for 1871, and so on that in five years or 1875, there would come from the unchecked increase of only one pair of each species 1,2l5, 1000, ,OO0, ,OOO, 900 of catterpillars or 200, ,OOO.0 GOO for each single acre of land in the state.
 It is true that as the arrangement now is, not one in one hundred, and indeed not one in many thousands ever come to maturity; thanks to the great agents of destruction, the birds. Making all possible deductions on account of all destructive influences except the birds, we have left very large figure, and if this is multiplied by the number of pairs actually living and, as all know of some kinds there are thousands, the product is something appall ing. If there is race of beings on ealth which should be protected from destruction by it's relation to the general economy of nature. that race is that of the birds Vengeance swift and terrible;descends upon those who will not learn that they are important, nay, even necessary to the success of all agricultural pursuits. While we may be much aided by those insects that destroy others of their kind, we must rely chiefly on the birds, and in so doing we shall not lean upon broken reed. In putting forward thls plea for the little warbling songsters, would not forget the | larger birds that still retain a foothold among us. In the northern states disposi- | ton seems to prevail to kill the crows, the scavenger birds of the country, as truly are they the scavengers among us as the buZzards of the south are the scaYengers among the people there. Those of us who have been there, know how religiously they are spared and prote cted by stringent laws. They have become as it were, almost domesticated. How common it is for farmers among us to strew their cornfields | with poisoned corn, and during the winter to poison the carcasses of dead animals, composing their destruction when they come to do us a kindness by removing carion from our sight During the summer months their food consists largely of worms, grubs, frogs, snakes, &c, and only fer a brief space of time do they attempt to do us harm by pulling up corn, which can be easily prevented by having boy watch your fields for few days.
 The Bengal tiger in the jungles of India, is no more blood thirsty than man whose propensity is to destroy all animal life, ex. cept the few domesticated species which we raise for labor and food. Would that a feeling of compassion might fill the hearts of men, to spare the harmless birds and animals among us. MY.
 Salisbury, Apr. I2, 1875.
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