San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-09-02
MANY USEFUL BIRDS.
PEOPLE HAVE A WRONG IDEA OF
1.-THE VALUE OF THE BlPEOS.

Plentiful If the Farmer and the sum-
mer Visitor Knew More About Them.
They Aid the Farmer Very Much.
No decent person who knows the value
of birds that sing, whether their song is
harsh or sweet, will ever kill a singing
bird Thousands of birds that are of in
estimable value TO the farmer, as well as to
the town dweller who grows fruit or keeps
q garden, are slaughtered annually in the
summer boarder' district near New York
by city visitors, both young and old, sim
ply because these bird killers do not know
the value of the birds they put out of the
way.
Farmers boys are also guilty of destroy
ING many Of their feathered friends, with
out reproach from their parents, for the
same reason - few farmers themselves
knowing, or mt least recognizing, the great
amount of benefit that certain birds are
DOT only willing but anxious to confer on
the country if they are only let alone
The farmer and fruit grower should
know more about the birds that nest and
SnS and Tit about their premises, for then
they would be willing to defend and pro-
tect them, and in time have them back in
something like their old time numbers
and variety. How often does one see the
sauCy, sweet voiced, nervous little wren
nowadays 1t a few years ago was seen
and heard everywhere, but it must be
favored locality that it visits now. Yet
the little wren was Il most ravenous de-
vourer of the pestferous cutworm of the
gardens and did great work toward les
SEEMING the damage done by that pest.
The bright little bluebird clears the air
and the ground of thousands of codlng
moths and Canker worms during a season,
yet farmers boys are permitted to rob its
nests with impunity and chase it from field
to field in efforts to kill it, The GROW
blackbird has no peace, yet a flock of these
birds will clear in short time a newly
plowed field of all its hosts of destructive
larva that the pillow has turned up.
A PLEA FOR TIE CROW.
The great American crow would do the
some if it wasn't tor the inevitable man
with Il gun who wants the crow to try it
once. Neither the bIackGird nor the crow
care rs much for corn Us they do for grubs,
and if the farmer would scatter corn about
his field instead of putting up scarecrows
and the like those useful birds would never
pull up Il hill of his planting The chances
.: q, anyhow, that II the farmer. will take
. trouble to examine il hill of young |
e, Il THAI he charges the crow with pulling |
"p he will find that it WIS cut off by a
i1Nh, and that the crow vas after the grub, |
~! the corn.
IAc robin, it cannot be denied is a sore |
trial to the man who has fruit trees, but if |
he will stop and think OF the thousands |
upon thousands of ravagiDg insects that |
are especial enemies Of his trees that the |
robin destroys, both before the fruit has |
ri"eued and for weeks after it has gone, he |
VIII not grudge the bird the few quarts of |
cherries or berries it demands as partial |
payment for its services The same may
He said of the thrushes, cherry birds, ORR |
Oles, bluejays and many Others of that |
class. These birds never levy tribute in |
the least on the grain farmer, but they do |
him untold good.
The climbing birds are the different va
rieties of wOOdpecker, and they are con-
stantly befriending growing things. When
ever a wOodpecker is heard tapping on a
tree it is the death knell of the Larvae of
some destructive insect. Yet it is not an
uncommon thing TO see the very person
for whom this bird is industriOusly at
work following with his gun the flash of
the birds red head from tree to tree until
the opportunity comes for him to send a
load of shot into the unsuspectiug feath-
cred philanthrOpist 1t is the pet belief
among the farmers that the wOOdpecker
kills the trees he works on and that he is
working for that purpose.
1t is fact that the common little sap
sucker does injure trees but the wood
pecker never. Quite the contrary. The
white breasted nuthatch and the gray
generally confounded with the
exclusively on tree insects,
yet the nuthatch is in bad favor among
many farmers, as they believe it eats their
trees.
THEY HELP THE FARMER
The meadow lark is another bird that is
given little peace on any ones land, for
here is a mistaken notion abroad that this
bird is a game bird. He is game in the
quality of being alert and hard to get a
'haf ~ hat is no more entit'Si 70 be so