Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1878-05-22
EVENING SESSION.

nv ENlNG oESSlON.
The meeting was opened by Prof
Perkins of the Vermont University, who
gave as the subject of his talk " he birds, "
speaking of their structure, their rapid.
long continued action, which made large
amount of food necessary, and their beau
tiful fitting for their special and peculiar
uses; mentioning especially the muscles
which hold by involuntary action the bird
on the perch, and the beautiful fitting the
eyes of birds for their needs. He next
took up the groups of birds; noting first
TIE birds of prey. Noting the bald or
white headed eagle, the only one of the
species which builds its nest on trees, and
then described in very interesting man
ner the way in which the eagle captures
fish from the osprey, or fish hawks, which
was as good us a story, and was listened to
by the audience with the closest attention
Owls of the smaller species, are of great
benefit to farmers in catching mice and
grubs. Woodpeckers are of the greatest
use. Some accuse them of being sap
suckers, but any one who would examine
his bill or tongue, would find that would
be impossible, and that his business there
'''7 W iihh wv "'l III III tllC NtOts anu
when he reaches the worm he thrusts out
his barbed tongue and the worm won t
face the tree any more, or the woodpecker
either. The woodpecker knows rs well
us any farmer, which are the best and
earliest ripening pears, and likes them rs
well, but the protection he gives the tree
entities him to his share of its fruit The
robin is another much maligned bird; he
eats fruit but he eats insects which would
do infinitely more damage to the fruit
than he does. As II proof o. their value
us insect eaters is the fact that they cannot
or III least have not been raised on vege-
table food alone. The ca bird. and bobo
link belong to the same family and should
be most carefully cherished The crow,
he rlassrd us a bird injurious to tn arm
or. He thought perhaps the insects he
DIES roved would balance the damage he
did to the corn, but the evil did in destroy.
ing the nests of the robin and other insec
eating birds is rs yet unbalanced in the
account and must he set against him. The
toad is another "bud" of the greatest
use to farmers. They do no harm, and
are of the greatest use in the garden. and
is the only thing he ever saw which would
Vt' 0hooo n'oly' summing DToWn Squash
bugs, which should make him esteemed
II public benefactor. He believed without
birds we should be unable to raise fruit
and perhaps grain AS well.
1t pays man well TO study nature
We are busy. but use our eyes and ears as
we 90 on; notice, AS we do our tasks, and
all about us are the wonderful things which
our lifetime would be too short to fully
comprehend even the simplest of them
but we may get here and there Bit and
feel through it the beating of the great
Heart beyond and above all.
Coleridge had we'll said:
He prayeth well who lovetb well
Both man and bird and beast;
He prayeth best who loveth best
) All things both great and small,
For the dear God who loveth lis
He made and loveth all;
And by studying these, his creatures, VIZ
might be brought nearer to Him to whom
we are indebted for that life which we en-
-, JOY in common with the humblest object.
, of His love and care.
.. The meeting was small in attendance
y though those present showed considerable
interest in the exercises.
We gratefully acknowledge the courtes,
= of Bro. Blake of the Monitor for use o
= his notes for portion of the meeting w
could not attend, and to the citizens of tn
. place whose hospitality we enjoyed, O
y which we can only say, we hope we ma,
. sometime again have the same chance.