The times., 1897-08-08
ScacnIls in Etnh.

more than f0rty-five years ago., said
Tldrsd HrChcok. OF salt Lake City, THE
legislature OF Utah Territory passed
Law making il an cffense, punishable Dy
heavy fine, 10 kill seagul. Whether or
not that law has been Te-enacted by the
State legislature ] don't know, but it makes
no difference whether it has or not, for
there is nothing that flies Or walks or
swirns that the farmers of Utah have more
affection Cor than they have for tie sea
gull
In ls48, the second year after the Nor
mon pioneers had settled out there, when
the crops were young and green and prom
Using for an abundant harvest, which the
settlers very much needed, suddenly there
came most extraordinary visitation of
cricisets. black, ,voracious andoverwhelning-
'.They came hopping down from the
moantain sides upon the fields in The Salt
Lake and the adjacent valleys, and COW
cred the growing grain, leaving barren
ness and lesolation in their wake The
hopes Of the pioneers turned 10 despair as
they saw then crops disappea ring day Toy
day before tins devouring plague, and Were
loud in lanentation, because they regarded
Il as a curse sent upon them for some
shOrtcOming. No human effort was ca
pable Of successfully combating the hordes
OF sahle insects as they advanced over
the land. and the heartsick farmer could
do nothing tut stan idly by, a despairing
witness to the destruction of his seasons
Iabor.
but another extraordinary manIresta-
tian was IN store Cor the Utah pioneers
One da ythe sky suddenly became dark with
endless flocls Of birds that came from tho
direction Of the coast. The = dropped down
fn thousands upon the cTicket-scoursed
fields. Ther, IL was discovered that they
were gnI:s.of the kin d that atIntervsaIs Voc
won't TO visit Salt Lake In small and scat
tering groups The gulls at once set 10 wors
at deyour.ne the crckets. From morning
until night they Gorged themselves unceas
fngly with the TavaCing pests Day day
this sim gulaT pursuit and destruction of the
Invading Insects continued until the plague
had disappeared before IL, and the gulls
rose and winged their way westward
toward tte Pacific.
''Then there were days OF thankscivnc G
and praise, for the crops were saved. and
ruin was warded off from young Utah IL
was soon after this that the legislature
passed the law protecting seagulls, as some
little recognition Of their services during
that memorable visitation Of eric kets.
which was the first and last of the kind
in that regions history.
Every season since then gulls In more
than usual numbers visit the farming dts
fricts about Salt Lake, but never in any
farce approaching that great raid OF rescue
IN 1913 Some seasons thousands Of them
m5y he seen in the fields They follow
fIie ploWman along the fGrrow Familiarity
and fearlesSly-
wherever there is newly plowed field
there the rulls may be seen devoming the
rrubs OF harmful insects the turned-up
fHrrGw exposes TO sight. The birds seem
70 lnow that the farmer is their friend,
for they hover about and around him, and
even permit themselves 60 be captured
without much protest. They never eat
grain or any farm crop. but devour by
millions the worms and insects that are
injurious TO the husbandman. So there II
no need OF the law making it an offense
60 KIN one of these birds. The farmer
would almost soon think OF killing his
brother. San Francisco Chronicle