St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-02-01
Highest ofa in Leavening PoweU Govt Report Aug ~ 1880
Hta!:I:I!! B Bs&dss1!
u ABSOLUTELY PURE
of all scientific men confirm the state
ABSOLUTELY PURE

of all scientific men confirm the state
ment.
Putting entirely aside the RESPONSE
bilities of the people and the rights Of
animals, it is a simple, bare alternative
that is presented to US. Shall the birds
be allowed to live or shall the earth be
reduced to barren wilderness?
One of the two is certain to be, for
the bird is our only protector from the
insect. To one who has not informed
herself it may seem like wild state
ment, but, nevertheless, it is true that
the insect is one of the most powerful
man, with all his boosted ability, is
helpless. 1t comes in innumerable
armies, too minute to be handled; moth
ing can discourage, nothing can eradl-
cate it. 1t mnltiplieS by millions; it
preys upon every vegetable and animal
substance under heaven. In world
abandoned to the insect not green
thing could grow, and without vegeta-
ton neither man nor beast could exist.
The bird, and the bird only, can cope
with these fearful hosts of our most
fatal foe, and it takes unceasing labor
on their part to do it, No creatures
have such ppetite-incarnate voracity.
Ruskin calls them-nOne require such
COHoldut supplies.
Our Friends. the Birds.
Watch the birds with an intelligent
eye, not merely glance at them, and see
how almost necessarily they work
The crow-an OutcaSt among men
follows the plough and destroys thou
sands of grubS and worms that, left to
themselves. would eat every vestige of
the crop. l beg to say right here that
ct re n no fa O nj hItt
are derived from the scientific reports of
government officers, who have inveStl-
gated the matter thoroughly.
The Oriole, moving quietly about on
the trees, puts an end every day to
hundreds, perhaps thousands, of the
enemies of cur foliage, and is reviled
for killing an occasional tree.
The viero, hopping from branch to
branch, with his constant MARBLE, snaps
up an injurious insect at every step.
Woodpeckers drag from their hiding
places the deStrOyerS of our fruit trees,
and are Saddled with an insulting name
because little sap eXude5.
The cedar bird clears half our orchard
of its pests, and is hunted to death for
eating few of the cherries he has
saved for US.
Swallows, in their beautiful flight,
air, creatures that wonld otherwise hide
the sky from US with their hosts. The
beautiful warblers. fitting necessarily
about the trees, are working almost
every instant in our interests, yet We
some of us-wear their little dead bodies
in clusters and wreathS, and the insects
increase and multiply apace.
The roSe-brea Sted grosbeak works
more industriously than any hodcarrier,
and never strikes for shorter hours; and
what is he doing? Carefully examining
the potato plants and picking off that
pest, the potato beetle. Unfortunately
more Unfortunately for US than for
him-he has a beautiful coat; he is
wanted to adorn somebody's hat; his
life of usefulness is cut short, and
the bugs have free sweep with the po-
tatoeS.
The Foes of Birds.
These are but few of the most COM
mon birds. | could go Oh all day and
tell of the constant work of the feath-
cred folk for man. Yet think what
odds these beautiful creatures, our
faithful servants, contend against.
Remember the armies of four
them and theiI eggs-the cats. weasels,
not think of. Consider the snakes and
other reptiles which regularly devour
their eggs and young, and do not forget
their feathered enemies-croWs, hawks,
owls and jays-all of whom like eggs
and perhaps birds as well as we do our
selves.
And then reflect on the attitude of the
human family toward them; first the
men who shoot them for eating, for the
fun of killing. or for collection; then
the boys too young to WELD the deadly
gun, but amply equipped with sharp
eyes, stout legs and thievish fingers,
who scale the trees and scour the
bushes and steal their eggs. ten, fifteen,
or twenty Of next years song birds in
an afternoon sometimes.
To this vast army of destroyers has
woman at last joined herself. Women.
the tender-hearted, the lover of beauty
and song. has really cast the great
weight of her influence against the
tribes of the air, and the birds fall at
her beheSt by millions.
Oh, my sisters, have we been called
unreasoning. selfish. Are we classed
with thoughtlesS children, with unteach-
able idiots ? Are we not guilty?
Olive Thorne Miller in New York Herald