The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1878-09-12
The fsrmsr's Frisnds---Whst tho Birds Do
For Him.

Vu AuuAuuoy loes, WuAAo ~ WIN
near wheat field, my attention was
called to the fact that some of the
wheat had been picked from the heads
in certain parts of the field. As my
neighbor seemed to think that the mis-
chief was done by yellow birds, Ipro-
cured gun and killed one of the sup
posed offenders. Although interrupt
ed while taking his breakfast, we
found in his stomach only three grains
of wheat and by actual count three
hundred and fifty weevils.-Rural
Home.
Some two years ago, q person
brought me turtle dove to preserve.
"Why did you shoot it?" 1 asked.
"Because it, along with others, was
found eating some fresh-sown peas"
was the answer. l opened its crop to
see if such was the case, but instead
of peas found in it over 1000 seeds
of what am told are seeds of weeds,
principally dock. took them to q
large retailer of seeds here, but could
find none in his shop to which they
correspondent. could say much in
confirmation of the usefulness of our
wild birds, but l will reserve any more
remarks on the subject for another
time.-London livestock Journal.
One day last season, as the barley in
my fields was ripening, the blackbirds
began to gather about it, and my far
mer began to anathematize them as
thieves and robbers, feeding on what
they did not SOW. "Why, they come"
said he, Sin clouds from Naushon, and
al about u.s." Notwithstanding, Il told
him was satisfied that they did more
good than harm, and that they were
welcome to their share. The harvest
began, and as the mowers reached the
middle of the field they found the
stalks of the grain very much stripped
and cut up by the army-worm. When
the barley was down, they commenced
to march out of the field in compact
stream through the barway into the
next one. and here we saw what the
blackbirds were after. They pounced
upon them and devoured them by
thousands, very materially lessening
their numbers. The worms were so
numerous that they could not destroy
them all, but they materially lessened
them and their power of mischief All
honor, then, to the black birds, which
arc usually counted mischievous, and
are destroyed by farmers like vermin.
Boston Advertiser.
A friend of mine, an animal preserv-
or, lived at Southwell, when garden
err used to bring him in, daily, num-
Der of thrushcs. At last he said to
him, "Why do you keep bringing me
in SO many thrushes 2" "Why," said
the gardener, "they are eating all my
strawberries" ~ don't believe it,
said my friend; 81 will come in and
see." So in he went, accordingly, land
found the gardener, with gun in hand,
ready to shoot q blackbird that had
just dropped in among the strawber-
ries. There" said the gardener,
"you see for yourself, what he is do
ing" and suiting the action to the
word, raised his gun to his shoulder
to shoot. "Stop," said my friend,
'let us see if it is as you say" when
presently the bird rose up with some
thing in its mouth and flew over the
wall into the adjoining grounds.
"Now," said my friend, 'let us go and
see what he has got" They went aud
found the bird breaking snail's shell.
"There, you see it is the snails that
eat your Strawberries, and not the
BIRDS" said my friend, as more care
full examination proved. Need | say
he killed no more thrushes on that ac-
count. The fact was, the summer be-
ing dry, the snails harbored there, the
thrushes found them, and were taking
them as food for their young ones
Levi Lee, an London livestock Jour
nal.
Wherever the currant worm is
found, there is the wasp, busy in
search of him, aud a ncwly-hatched
brood makes but a portion Of 4 square
meal' for our friend with the long,
slender, smoked-pearl wings. 1t is in
teresting to see the eager. seemingly |
nervous haste with which the wasps |
so from leaf TO leaf, hunting their ia
vorite food. This wasp, although of
the same shcpe, is not the steel-blue
"mud-dauber," which, by the way,
provides live spiders for its larve, but
has brewIish body with yelowish |
legs, and should not be COMPOUNDED |
with the inse ct which Injuries raspber-
ries, plums, etc, that line Of business |
being performed, as far As my observa-
ton extends, by a yellow-striped hor-
net, miscalled wasp.