The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-01-19
USEFULNESS OF BIRDS.
Information for Farmers and
Fruit-Growers.
An Investigation of the Feathered Tribes
of the United States.

n ornithological branch Of the ag-
ricultural department, recently estab-
lished and put under the charge of
DIR. c. Heart Merriam. is beginning to
arrive at results. The idea is to OBJ
tain exact and reliable data about the
food and migration habits of different
birds, so as to furnish information
which will be of advantage to farmers
M fruit growers. One thing that is
being established is a grand route
map, showing the movement of differ
ent kinds of birds. It has been found
that the great number Of birds in pass
Ing over the country do not spread over
a wide area, but that they have certain
beaten tracks. so a. to speak, that
they always follow. They have estab-
lished routes which their ancestors
have been travelling over for hundreds
OF years, and have regular places to
stop for refreshments. They general
~ follow the low lands, keeping by a
river when they have one in their
course, or go along the coast, and they
always follow exactly the same course,
year after year. Here comes in the
investigation of food habits. Stom-
achs of birds are being received by
the thousand and examined. The
professor says: 1.-The most desperate
criminal we have had to deal with is
the pugnacious little English sparrow.
He makes no defense whatever, and
he has been convicted and sentenced
to death. He has been caught in the
act of committing most terrible depre-
datlons, and upon examination his
stomach has been found to be over
loaded with stolen provisions. lie is
the worst of all the ~feathered crini.
nails. His conviction was upon very
strong evidence, but more damaging
testimony is coming in every day.
Here is an affidavit which sets fortll
that an immense oat-ield has been
completely stripped of it's crop by i'm.
mense bands Of these impudent little
robbers.
"The crow has appeared in his own
defence, and has made out a very good
case for himself. He is very intelli.
gent. as are all the starting family.
He pleaded guilty to eating corn tina,
has just been planted, and acknowl
edges that he steals a chicken occasion.
ally and 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 pro-
tests that he makes ample returns fo1
all of these ~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 ne saves to
the farmer. He is Avery profound
bird, and seems to have the best of the
case. An analysis of his stomach
shows a very small percentage of
grain. In fact, the English sparrow"
continued the professor, 'is the only
one that has been convicted. All the
rest compensate in some way for their
wrong-doing, and in the balance of
good and bad the good outweighs the
bad by a great deal.
"The robin is an invaluab le bird
and the meadow lark is harmless and
happy, his sweet voice cheering the
early-rising farmer. When all the
cases on the docket are tried it will be
found that very few birds could be dis.
pensed with. Too many have already
been condemned on circumstancial ey- !!
idence. Farmers see flocks Of birds in
their grain-fields and at once conclude
that they are eating tho grain. In
this way they accused the bobolink. ]
went into 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, apparently eating the grain,
but 1 shot about forty Of them, and
when / examined their stomacns ]
found not a sign of grain, but any
number Of insects. They were not
eating grain at all, but freeing it from
destructive insects. However. when
they change their feathers and become
rice birds, they change their good hab-