The Dawson journal., 1883-08-16

birds are more or less beneficial to
agriculture; and if this fact were
duly recognized by farmers, and if
they were to extend their protec-
ton and encouragement to the
birds instead of permitting and
actually engaging in the warfare
upon them, the crops of grain and
fruit of the country would be
worth many millions of dollars
more than they are now. The in
designations ofintelligent ornithol-
ogists and other students of ma
ture have of late years disclosed
many interesting and valuable facts
in regard to this branch of rural
economy, showing that the subject
is far from trivial in Importance.
Many species of birds that have
heretofore had a bad reputation,
have been shown to be not only
comparatively harmless, but on the
other hand are really of great bene-
tit to the farmer. Most birds Of
bad name are indebted for such
character to their habit of praying
upon fruit-cherries, grapes, ETC.,
but especially to the objectionable
SIN of pulling up corn in the
spring. Because thrush or red
bird will take a few grains of corn,
he is condemned as an enemy to
the farmer, and most boys are
trained up in the idea that they
are doing the country in general,
and their fathers in particular, a
great service in breaking up their
nests, and destroying the old ones
whenever they find them. While
some of our birds do pull up corn,
and others steal little fruit, the
most of them live almost entirely
on noxious insects in their several
forms. The red-headed wood
pecker, really one of the most
beautiful birds of our fields, and
his congenors-the sap suckers
are outlawed on most farms, and
the young sportsman delights to
try his skill by wantonly destroy
ing them. These birds pull up no
corn, but are supposed to be very
fond of the juicy roasting-ear.-
Indeed every boy has seen them
perched upon an ear of corn in
fagrante delicto. But while appa-
rently intent upon appropriating
his self-appointed share of the
juicy grains of corn, the bird is
really intent upon capturing the
wORM-the farmers real enemy
that has been reveling for days
And this worm Is the true boil
worm that sometimes devastates
whole fields Of cotton! So, too,
the bull bat, or night hawk, the
swallows, wrens, sparrows, mock
ing birds, cat birds and the many
others, destroy thousands of insects
every day, when in season.
Most farmers do not distinguish
they do not know their friends
from their enemies-among the
feathered tribe, but desplse and
destroy all alike that are known or
believed to be at any time or to
the smallestextent destructive. 1t
would be far wiser to protect and
encourage all birds, than to wage
an indiscriminate warfare, against
all. What would be the condition
of agriculture if all the birds were
destroyed? We do not venture to
say that no crops of any kind
could be produced, but we do be-
lieve that we would have to devise
more effective artificial methods
for destroying insects, and preven-
ting their undue increase, than any
that are now known to us; before
we could grow corn, wheat, oats,
cotton, or anything other of our
valuable crops; and fruit would be
out of the question:
The wanton destruction Of in
sectivorous birds is a crying evil
and should be prevented by severe
legal penalties. We have game
laws for the protection of deer,
cartridges, etc.; that they may not
be. utterly destroyed-wh not
protect the sap suckers and 6ther
insectivorous birds2 If Bvefy
deer and partridge in Georgia or
any other state were destroyed
the entire race extinguished-, the
people would hardly feel the loss
sensibly: But if two OF three
species of insectivorous birds were
utterly destroyed; the loss and
damage to crops would be a very
serious mattel: