Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1895-05-08
ISLANDERS ON BIRDS REFUTED
Popular Idea of Their Destructiveness Dis
proved.

Popular Idea of Their DestructNehess DIS
washington. May CIR. c. Hart
Merriam. chief OF the division Oh OF
MYTHOLOGY of the Agricultural Depart
ment has been for several years en-
oaoed i'm examining and analyzlng the
contents of the stOmachs OF hawks
owls crows. blackbirds. meadow lar rs
ond other birds of North America
which are supposed TO be strlklngiy
beneficial or injurious to the crops oil
farmers. -ooo b;r5s
+aLen M different seasons OF the year,
have been already analysed and the
contents determined, While some l,VOO
are still unexamined. The results IN
some cases have been relnaT haole'
showing in several notable instances
that popular ideas regarding the muir
ions effects of certain birds were Whol-
~ mistaken. and that they have Deen
rbe victims OF unjust prosecution. rms
had been found to be especially lne
case with hawks and owls, for the
slaughter of which many States give
bounties PENNSYLVANIA in TWO years
gave over 100000 in hawk ana OWL
bounties Examinations Of the stom-
achs of these birds proved conclusiyely
that 50 per cent of their tood was Aeiu
mice. grasshOppers, cHckets' etc'
which were infinitely more injurious 10
farm crops than they. 1t was Iouliu
that only five kinds of hawks and Owls
ever touched poultry, and then only 10
very limited extent A bulletin now
about going to press on the crow also
shows that bird is not so black as he
is painted bv the farmer. The charges
AGAINST the crow were that he ate corn
and destroyed the eggs and poultry ana
wild birds. Examination OF their SUOMI
acbs showed that they eat noXious IN
sects and other animals ana IhdC al
though - per cent OF their GoOu Is corn
IL lis mostly waste corn picked up III Jhe
falI and winter. With regard TO eggs,
ii was found that the shells were eaten
10 q very limited extent for the lime.
They eat ants. beetles, caterplllars,
hugs. flies. grubs, etc. which DO much
damage Bulletins are also being pre-
Darei ON the cuckoo and other black
birds. king birds meadow iarhS, cedar
birds. thrushes. catbirds, sparroWs etc.
I'm many cases popular ideas are found
r, be untrue. In the case OF the king
bird. killed by the farmer under the
inlnraSsiOn that he eats bees, Ii was
found that he ate only droues and rob
her flies. which themselves feed on
bees. and which destroy more bees IN q.
dsv than the king bird does in year.
The king bird. therefore, is to be en-
couraeed rather than slaughtered. The
cucLoos are also found to be very use
ful birds in this country. Because the
Eur0pean cuckoo robbed nests and laid
therein it's own eggs, popular fancy at
rrihl,ted the same vicious habit to our
own cuckoo. He is, however, not de
Drayed like his European namesake,
but a very decent fellow, who does
much good in the destruction OF insects.
The result of this work, DR. Merriam
saws. viii insure to the protection OF
beneficial birds and the destruction OF
Injurious. 1t will also, he says, do
missionary work in the matter OF State
bouutfes. most of which are ill-directed
and none of which, he thinks, have
qood results. The crusade, for in
stance. against the English sparrow ne
said resulted in the destruction OF
many of our native sparrOws. Boun-
flies on panthers. wolves, etc. had in
the past resulted in the manufacture
OF bogus scalps.
Or. Merriam is also preparing a map
showing the life zones OF the United
States for birds, mammals, reptiles
and plants, a work on which he has
been engaged for sixteen years.
DEATH OF A RAILROAD MAN.