Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-05-10
JUSTICE TO BIRDS
Many Popular Errors Regarding Them Are
Removed.
OrnithOIostst Merriam Secures Inter.
estirE Results From u Long and
Careful Investigation.

DIR. c. Hart Merriam, chief of the divis-
ion Of ornitholcgy of the Agricultural De-
partmsnt, has been for several years en-
gagged in examining and Analysing the con-
tents of the stomachs of hawks. owls,
black BIRDS meadow larks and other birds
of North America, which are supposed to
be strikingly beneficial to or Injurious to
the crops of farmers. The stomachs of
over 1900 birds, taken at different seasons
of the year, have been already analysed
and the contents determined. while some r.
600 are still unexamined. The results in some
cases have been remarkable. showing in
several notable instances that popular ideas
regarding the injurious effects of certain
birds were wholly mistaken. and that they
have been the victims of an unjust prose-
cution. This has been found to be espe-
cially the case with hawks and owls. for
the slaughter Of which many states give
bounties. Pennsylvania in two years gave
over 100000 in hawk and owl bounties.
Examinations of the stomachs of these
birds proved conclusively that 81 per cent
of their food was field mice, grasshoppers,
crickets. etc, which were infinitely more
Injurious to farm crops than they. 1t was
found that only five kinds of hawks and
owls ever touched poultry, and then only
to very limited extent
Crows Have Been Misrepresented, Too
A bulletin now about going to press on
the crow also shows that the bird is not
SO black as he Is painted by the farmer.
The charges against the crow were that he
ate corn and destroyed the eggs, and poul-
try, and wild birds. Examination Of their
stomachs showed that they ate noxious in
sects and other animals and that although
% per cent of their food is corn, 1t is most
ly waste corn. picked up in the fall and
ny or nrI 70 fO,,y vi
that the shells were eaten to a very linn
tied extent for the lime. They eat ants,
beetles, caterpllars. bugs, flies, grubs, ETC.,
which do much damage. Bulletins are also
being prepared on the cuckoo and other
black birds. king birds. meadow larks.
cedar birds. thrushes. cat birds, sparrows.
etc In many cases popular ideas are
found to be untrue. In the case of the
king bird. killed by the farmer under the
impression that he eats bees, 1t was found
that he ate only drones and robber flies.
which themselves feed on bees and which
destroy more bees in day than the king
bird does in year. The king bird there
fore is to be encouraged rather than
slaughtered.
CuckoOs Useful Save In Congress.
The cuckoos are also found to be very
useful birds in this country. Because the
European cuckoo robbed nests and laid
therein its own eggs. popular fancy attrib-
uted the same vicious habit to our own
cuckoo. He Is, however, not depraved like
his European namesake but very decent
fellow, who does much good in the destruc-
ton of insects. The result of this work
DR. Merriam says will inure to the orotec-
ton of beneficial birds. and the destruction
of injurious. 1t will also. he says. do mis-
sionary work in the matter of state boun-
ties, most of which are ill-drected. and
more of which, he thinks, have good re-
suits. The crusade. for instance, against
the English sparrow. he said, resulted in
the destruction of many of our native spar
rows. Bounties on panthers wolves. ETC..
had in the past resulted in the manufac-
ture of bogus scalps.
DIR. Merriam is also preparing a map
showing the life zones of the United States
for birds. mammals, reptiles and plants,
! work on which he has been engaged for
sixteen years.