The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-12-02
BIRDS WITH A BAD NAME.
1t Is Not Deserved, But they Are persa-
cuted All the Same.
philadelphia Ledger.)

philadelphia Ledger0
The fifth of MRS. Olive Thorne Mi1,or,s
Bird Talks was given yesterday affair
noon at the Stratford, with a orou, o+
beautiful birds on the table for the MR.
poses of illustration.
the Bird World. Mrs. Miller, at the
outset, remarked that, after speaking of
a bird or two of interest, but not belonp-
ing to either of the families heretofore
introduced she would call attention to.
and ask sympathy for, several marked
characters that have been SO misrepre
sented that it is hard to know the real
bird.
First to he shown were the scarlet
tanager, in his brilliant dress, and his
pretty mate in modest olive green and
yellow This is wood bird of shy man
ners more often heard than seen, since
he IL a loud singer, and his call, "ohip-
chur," is a characteristic sound of the
woods. After nesting he puts off his
gay scarlet and assumes the colors of his
mate, and the process is la curious one,
as he seems to break out in green spots
all over.
the strange friendships between birds
was spoken of and illustrated by the
story of tanager for whom an English
goldfnch manifested an absorbing at
taohment.
The next bird introduced was the
American herring gull, who spends the
| winter about our harbOrs, and is as in
teresting as he is beautiful in b is black,
white and blue suit, the white SO largely
predominating that he looks snowy
white as he circles about over our heads
In the sir. Great ignorance prevails
about.the character of this gull, who is "a
bird of marked individuality, generous
and kind to those in trouble, gentle and
easily trained in captivity, useful in
garden as an insect destroyer, and dIoll
and playful with children. In the fields
of Utan he follows the pillow. clearing the
! ground of all noxious creatures, and,
| when blowing days are over, retirss with
his family and numerous friends-for
gals 60 in hocks-to islands III the great
| Salt lake for nesting. The young gull ia
lovely, with blue eyes aud d suit of soft
gray down. Gull Dick is bird of fame,
who has fer more than twenty years
crew on lightship stationed on the
coast Of New England. He has become
| tame and shows intelligence, and His
annual arrival with the flook in the fall
Is announced in the papers like that of
| some human dignitary.
Mrs. Miller then brought forward what
she called the victims of Islander, an at
| tractive looking group, comprising the
cedar bird, the cuckoo, the bluejay, the
! kingbird and the shrike. She first called
attention to the careless way in which
birds are judged and condemned; one
observed to he going about on tree and
| thrusting his beak into the blossoms is
decided at once to be destroying fruit
| buds; another walking about planted
field is Instantly sst down as being in
mischief, whereas, in both cases, they
were seeking their natural prey, the in
stincts, and thus of the greatest possible
| use to the cultivator.
| The cedar bird was described as an at
tractive fellow. and facts given to show
| that by his destruction of cauker worms
and other pests he pays many times over
| for the cherries he cats. The cuckoo
| mother, of quaint, shy ways, was de-
| Tended from the common charge of imi-
| tating her European namesake in aban-
doning her young to the care of other
birds, the speaker declaring that our
| cuckoo builds nest and brings up her
| own family and her mate assists in the
| work.
The bluejay is not only beautiful and
delightful singer, but he is merry and
playful in disposition, generous to 9th
ers, and devoted parent, besides being
| when his confidence is won-a loving
| and charming pet. Not half the charges
| brought against him are true, as all who
have honestly studied him admit. He ia
| gre at insect devourer, and young blue
| jays ara brought up on them.
The kingbird, in his sober black au
white. is accused of tyrannizing over
other birds and attacking everything
| that wears feathers but close study
proves him to be quite different. an at
| tentive mate, Woodworking parent and
| inoffensive neigh Dor, and one of our
most useful insect eaters.
The shrike or butcher bird is the
special victim of the sensational writer,
who embellishss aud enlarees upon the
birds we'll known habit of impaIing his
prey. till the bird has become. in popular
| est alton, monster, rufffan, cool
headed murderer. No colors are black
enough to paint this beautiful bird. who
simply does what all the rest of the car
doing every dny-kills to eat. That he
impales his prey is not comparable in
cruelty to many things that are done in
preparing living creatures for our tables.
yet we do not ostraciZe our butchers nor
brand them with offensive names. Tt
is m interesting bird and a sweet singer.
worthy of study and more intelligent
treatment at our hands.
In closing, Mrs. Miller expressed the
opinion that when we know the life
habits of birds better we shall see that
| they are all more sinned against than sin
ming, and shall know, what has benp
said. that without their services man
could not inhabit the earth.
,au,r ..,1