Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1897-09-09

10 take each dead bird and examine
his stomach. The scientist can then
learn what food the birds subsist upon,
and hence can determine whether or not
they are friends or foes of the husband
man. 1t is generally discovered that the
common birds are the friends of the
farmers, and are destroying his insec
tivorous enemies. This discovery hav
ing been made IN each case, the farmers
are Informed of the result of the inves-
tigation, and thereafter the shotgun is
dispensed with. So the killing of 8
few birds results in saving the lives O.
thousan ds of others.
The professor says that cuckoos ara
much given to eating caterpillars, AMI
do not object to their hair, as many
birds do. On the contrary cuckoos eat
So many hairy ycaterpillars that the
hairs pierce the inner Innings of theii
stomachs; and when they are opened
and turned inside out. the cuckoo stom
achs seem to be lined with thin coat
ing of fur, which appears to be u part oi
tho stomach itself. Nature provides OF
c, ntinued digestion, just the same.
While the scientific slaughter OF
cuckoos was going on, i6 OF the birds
were examined, and the result show.
that they had all been diligently en-
gagged in helping the farmers of then
ighborhood. The 16 stomachs showed
the remains of 32S caterpillars. IL
beetles, Is grasshoppers. CD saw flies
four spiders, and three stink bugs
Those were Industrious birds, and they
were doing their best for their farmer
friends, when they were ruthlessly shoi
down for scientific investigation. just
think of it! There were 1928 caterpillars
many. of them in the iarva stage. But
fol those cuckoos all of those caterpil
lars would have been working on tbs
leaves Of trees; and they prefer apple
trees. of the 63 saw flies, GO were IL
the Iarva stage.
Investigation demonstrates thai
fam should do their best to cult
vate woodpeckers. They leave no marks
on healthy trees. On the contrary they
urerringly trail down the wood-boring
larva, and dislodge and deyour them
1t is picnic for a woodpecker to catcl
these tree killers. They eat them with
as much satisfaction and qualification
as a summer girl manifests over a dist
pf ice cream. 1t usually happens that
sitter these wood-boring larva are de
StIOySI, tue UOlcS are ntiSu Will COL
opies of ants. Do the woodpeckers
leave them to thrive there? Not much
they like ants pretty we'll, too; apc
they watch those holes carefully, wei
knowing that they will have an epicu
rean festival of ants after a little while
and consequently they keep the tree.
clean all the time. 1t is their bushes.
and pleasure 10 do so. Two flicker
woodpeckers' stomachs were examined
in the laboratory, and they each con
tanned 5000 ants, besides the woodbor
ing larva. Those were good wood
lockers. and ought to have been KEEP,
and cultivated by the farmers fireside:
as near neighbors and close friends.
The official bulletin has a good wore
also for the red-headed woodpecker
1t is admitted that this bird is guilty
of tapping trees and drinking the sap
1t has been discovered, however, thai
very few trees are seriously injured
although some have died within yeal
or two, after being Slapped by thes,
red-headed fellows. The professo
says, however, that 1.-The bird capture:
millions of insects which are attracted
by the sweet sap, and the tree tapping