The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1893-02-22
The Boys and the Birds.


Now springtime is coming boys, want
to tell you something about birds, and
frogs and Lizards.
They are our best friends. Don't shoot
the robins and the wrens and don't kill
the frogs and Lizards just for spite. Be.
cause God put them here to help the
Georgia farmer make his crop. Yes He
did. They are the farmers watch-dogs.
Watch.dogs, working from morning
until night to keep away insects which
but for these little watch-dogs would
multiply so fast that it would be impos-
sible for US to raise cotton, corn or any.
thing else. or course boys must have
guns, and must 60 hunting and
must have some sort Of fun. But don't
believe there is boy in Wilkes County
who would kill his fathers best friend if
he stopped a minute to think about it.
No, I like boys too well to believe it of
them.
Cat birds. red birds, wood.peckers,
mockipg birds aud even the despised jay
birds are some of your fathers best
friends. Each of these little watch-dogs
is worth as much to the farmer as a
grown man to whom he pays so cents
day and his food. So are lizards and
frogs. A lizard is just as useful in the
fields as cat in the pantry. And these
very small little frogs that you boys love
to torment and kill are sent to Australia
from Europe by the carload and sold to
keep down insects that are injurious to
their fruits and vegetables. So now,
boys. don't kill your fathers friends.
The jsybird has very bad name I know.
He pulls up the farmers corn and s-els
his fruit. But never mind that in the
long run be does more good than harm.
used to hate him myself. He is noisy
quarrelsome fellow, and steals my STRAW
berries, but after talking to him about it
and scolding him, he told me he was only
taking few to pay for the work be was
doing for me. And sure enough, I
watched and saw he was catching all
those horrid pumpkin bugs" and "lady
bugs" that are 80 destructive to fruit and
flowers. After this I let Mr.. Jsybird
have all the strawberries ne wanted. He
also catches the cabbage worm moth, and
makes himself generally useful in the
vegetable garden. So now, boys, if Mr..
Jaybird is not your fathers friend he is
your mothers, and don't kill your moth
er's friend. Some people say the wood
cker is bad bird, and accuse him of
killing trees Now that is cruel SIAN
der. The truth is he is only hunting for
insects that have already killed the tree,
and but for him would kill hundreds of
others in the neighborhood. There is
nothing wrong about Mr.. Woodpecker,
be is a good friend of the family. Don't
kill him.
But of all friends we have in field, for.
est, garden or orchard, the mocking. bird
is the best. I never heard anything
mean about him in my life. He is a
real old-fashioned gentleman and the
South is his home. This is the only
country in the world where the mocking
bird lives. He is famous the world over.
None of the great singers of the stagecan
compare to him. But as boys do not
care much about music or singing I will
tell you what else he does. he catches
the boll-worm moth, which is the far
mer's worst enemy. Havn't you seen a
greyish white butterfly with brown spots
on his wings, Auttering about in the corn
and cotton fields? Well, that is the boil
worm moth. One of these moths will lay
75O eggs, and these eggs will hatch out
75O little striped worms, that will bore
into cotton bolls, and into the silk end Of
the corn ears, destroying hundreds and
thousands of dollars worth every year.
In fact there is no telling where it would
end but for the mockipg bird and some
of his helpers.
Suppose mockipg bird hs.s nest Of
young ones to feed, and suppose she
catches ten Of these moth day, there
are $500 boil worms gone. But there is
the father bird at work also, and between
them they catch many times ten moths q
day, besides other insects injurious to the
crops. Now don't you think he is very
particular friend of the farmer? Don't
kill him. But know something that is
a great deal worse than shooting birds
and killing frogs. It is SO bad that am
almost ashamed to tell it. Then, too,
I'm afraid somebody's feelings will get
hurt if 1 say just exactly what think
about boy who would do such thing.
So 1 will not say what I think about
such boy, but I will just beg you all, if
any of you have ever robbed a poor little
birds nest, please don't do it again.
God gave them the right to make their
homes in the forest, but he did not give
you the right to 90 there and break up
their poor little nests and destroy their
children.
When you see hawk swoop down and
pick up little chicken, and the old hen
run screaming after it trying to save her
baby don't you feel sorry for her, and
don't you run for the gun and shoot the
hawk? Well, that hawk is not half as
mean as the boy who robs a birds nest.
The hawk is only trying to make an hon.
est living while the boy is doing some
thing he will be sorry for to the end OF
his days.
The following story I read in book at
the Mary Willis library, and give it
here from memory: DR.. Townsend Glover,
great agriculturist, says, II never allow