Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1885-12-24
USEFULNESS OF Birds.

USEFULNESS OF BIRDS.
An 0mcial Investigation Of the Feathsraa
Tribes Of the United States.
The pathological branch of the Az.
ricultural Department, recently estab-
lished and put under the charge of DR..
C. Heart Merriam, is beginning to ar.
rive at results. The idea is to obtain
exact and reliable data about the food
and MGR atory habits of different birds.
SO as to furnish information which
will be of advantage to farmers and
fruit-growers. One thing that is being
established is grand route map.
showing the movements of different
kinds of birds. 1t has been found that
the great numbers of birds in passing
over the country do not spread over a
wide area, but that they have certain
beaten tracks, SO to speak, that thew
always follow. They have established
routes which their ancestors have
been travelling over for hundreds of
years, and have regular places to stop
for refreshments. They generally fol-
low the low lands, keeping by a
river when they have one in their
course, or 90 along the coast, and they
always follow exactly the same course,
year after year. Here comes in the in.
vestigation of food habits. Stomachs
of birds are being received here by the
thousand and examined. The profes.
sor says: The most desperate criminal
we have to deal with is the pugnacious
little English sparrow. He makes no
defense whatever, and he has been con.
victed and sentenced to death. He has
been caught in the act of committing
most terrible depredations, and upon
examination his stomach has been
found to be overloaded with stolen pro-
visions. He is the worst of all the
feathered criminals. His conviction
was upon very strong evidence, but
more damaging testimony is coming
in every day. Here is an affidavit which
sets forth that an immense Oat-tield has
been completely stripped of its crop by
immense bands of these impudent little
robbers.
s. The crow has appeared in his own
defense, and has made out very good
case for himself. He is very intelli-
gent. as are all the startling family.
He pleaded guilty to eating corn that
has been planted. and ACKNOWLEDGES
that he steals chicken occasionally
end eats eggs, and that he has even
gone SO far as to steal silver spoons
and bright. sparkling jewelry, of which
he is very fond. But he protests that
ho lyo, or,p1n ,.o+,r,c for II of fboco
depredations by clearing out bugs and
worms and grasshoppers. that if left
alone would do much more harm than
he does. He claims that he is working
the. farm on shares, and asks for his
own subsistence only a very small part
of what he saves to the farmer. He is
a very profound bird, and seems to
have the best of the case. An analysis
of his stomach shows very small per-
centage of grain. In fact. the English
sparrow" continued the professor,
els the only one that has been con-
victed. All the rest compensate in
some way for their wrong-doings. and
in the balance of good and bad the
good oltweighs the bad by a great
deal.
''Thc robin is an invaluable bird,
and the meadow lark is harmless and
happy, his sweet voice cheering the
early-rising farmer. When all the eases
on the docket are tried it will be found
that very few birds could be dispensed
with. Too many have already been
on circumstantial evidence.
Farmers see flock of birds in their
grain-felds and at once conclude that
they are eating the grain. In this way
they accused the bobolink. went out
into the Virginia with my gun not long
ago. The farmers told me bobolinks
were devouring their grain. Great
numbers of the birds were in the fields.
eating the grain. but shot
about forty of them, and when eS-
amined their stomachs l found not q
sign of grain, but any number of in
sects. However, when they change
their feathers and become rice birds,
they change their good habits. also,
and become very destructive to the
southern rice plantations. In large
rice fields it keeps two men busy shoot
Ing them all day long, each man using |
up sixteen pounds of powder in week.
Troy (M W Times.