The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-07-06
Uses OF SOME BIRDS.
The POSITION THEY OCCUPY m
THE ECONOMY OF NATURE.

| illG COOtNOtWf VI WV D''-'
Curious Ways In Which the Water Birds,
Hawks, Owls and other Fowl Are an
Assistance to Mankind Habits of Many
Well Known Feathcred tressures
| In recent years much attention has been
| paid by naturalists TO examining the stom-
achs OF vafiSt- birds in order to ascertain
the character of their '5cdi I'm those OF
most water fowl percentage OF see6s md
roots of aquatic plants has been found. A
subject well worthy Of consideration Is
| whether the migratory instincts OF all
water fowl is not partially utilized to carry
these seeds and roots 10 points far distant
from one another, Which could NOT be
reached by water currents, thus perform
| ing the part for water plants that air cur
rents do for terrestrial growths
Shore birds, such ms snipe, sand pipers,
| yellow legs, pIOver, deyour large quantities
Of beetles and worms injurious to shore
| and shallow water plants. They also assist
| in the transporting OF seeds from place to
I place. On toast their transporting quail !
| ties affect us in another way.
Owls and hawks unit, within late years
| have had only the uncommcrcial value of
wisdom and sharp sight allotted thehi
| But by shorter method than the stomach
pump Investigators have clearly shown
| that few tfiore valuable blrds TO the agri
| culturist exist; aid how, instead OF offered
| premiums for their scalps, they are allowed
| TO retain them, and are protected by law in
| their possession Their chicken thievlng
| is an epicureau eccentricity not worth con
sidering when compared with their hfbit-
ual consumption Of mice and Other small
| animals which do great injury to the
| farmers trees and crops. The farmers
| poultry is under his immediate protection,
| but he cannot we'll 20 housing to save his
products.
MANY KINDS OF HAWKS.
Undoubtedly the entire falcon family
demonstrate that bird will eat bird, but
the varieties devoured by most OF them In
any appreciable quantity are such as are
| indirectly useful TO man as insect killers
only. The appetite and capacity OF one
hawk for insects much more then eompen-
safe for those Of all the birds 1t kills.
The spairdr hawk Is by far the most
numerous of its species. Its chief food is
prasshoppers. When this insect IL TO be
had the most tempting nIorsels in feathers
are eschewed.
The red shouldered or chicken hawk, as
| II Ia uiiscalled, seldom eats chickens; then
IN winter ONLY Its food consists OF small
ouadrupeds, small birds lizards frogs,
snakes and insects.
Tho marsh hawk-the sportsman's spe-
cial antipathy-he-Ar preys upon the game
for which sportsmen seek. ~ isa r9paclous
eater, varying it's bill OF fare with frogs
coleopterous insects and dlmlnutlVe mem
| bers Of the feathered tribe.
The sharp Skinned or partridge hawk Is
the Robespierre Of the air-blood, blood, no
matter whence it comes. He has liking |
for spring chicken, raw, garnished witt
feathers. He finds quails toothsome and |
ducks prominently to his taste. He passes |
sentence upon almost everything that flies, |
vet the number OF these he kills is unim- |
portant when compared with the entrees
of his bill Of fare. In fact the sharp |
Skinned and the cooper's hawk are the only |
members of large family that have few |
tastes hi common with man. Because OF
this alleged sin the immense good they do |
| should not be forgotten.
THE USEFUL OWL.
Owls continue by night the good work of
| the hawks by day; mice, moles and reptiles |
are their regular food. The barred or boot |
owl and the great horned owl are the only |
members Of the family having an unsayory
reputation. The barred owl claims right |
| of priority TO an occasional partridge, and |
retaliates upon the spOrtsman's encroach- |
ment upon its preserves by foraging upon
the chicken yard. II feeds principally upon
mice and small birds and reptiles
The great horned owl is singular in its
partiality for skunk (no one should enter
| tain malice toward it for that It's chill
dteu cry for it. Its nests are invariably
infected by its odor While its food con
ssts OF pheasants, large game, ducks and
poultry. the dining on single skunk gives
it respectable standing as friend to the
poultry raiser and sportsman, together
with all having noses in any degree more
sensitive than wax ones.
The barn owl outrivals the cat as a
mouser and rs nerve stirring musician
| by the eloquence of its silence.
For fifteen years within the writer's
knowledge a neighborly pair of screech
owls have dwelt upon west Philadelphia
lawn. in the midst Of an unusual quantity
Of nesting birds and in close contiguity to
n chicken yar,l, without routing nest or
disturbing a chicken, 50 far "a any indica-
ton has ever shown.
BIRDS THAT EAT INSECTS.
Birds other than owls, that care for
mems interests while men sleep are the
wbip-poor-will and night hawk. They live
! upon butterflies and moths, but enterprs-
inc experimenters have been known to try
the potato beetle, and it is to be hoped that
thew were pleased. Dr. Warner found them
in the stomach OF whip-poorwill, which
undoubtedly indicates a fondness for them
or two inconceivablc blunders in success
sion.
Insects are such rapid breeders and so
| nrolific that without the insect eating birds
we would have ten thousand plaques.
| Upon excellent authority the ancient Egyp-
| tians found one-that of the grasshoppers-
To be enough, and occasionally in our own
good time we have had bitter experience OF
what the tiny pests can do when helped by
favorine seasons. or are unchecked in their
nrocliyities for large families The army
worm. grasshopper, potato beetle, wheat
weeyil. curculio, the Ubiquitous mosquito
and unrivalled leaf destroyer rais-
ine-anathematized measuring worm, the
various caterpillars, have devastated vast
regions, injured entire crops, stripped cities
of their leafy lungs and protecting shade
trees and kept human wrath at monop-
olizing temperature
The caterpillar of the apple tree and the
larvae OF fruit injuring insects are fayorites
Of the cuckoo. To the fruit growers it Is
invaluable, and the farmer heeds It's prog
nostications of coming rain with far more
certainty than those OF the best OF anerolds.
Charles McIlyaine in Philadelphia
Ledger. -
Big Frogs Legs.
Unon cake of ice in Washington mar
ket there lay one morning a pair OF
frogs legs which weighed half a pound.
The big lug o rum" who once owned these
nrime saddles WAS captured in Salem. y. j.,