Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1897-06-23
SAVE OUR BIRDS.
Stop the Inhuman Slaughter
of Our Songsters.

: 80. 49,, &C TT lessening. How
common was the sweet-voiced wren in
our boyhood days, but where is it
now? Seldom is any locality blest
by its presence. I say "blessed," for
it is most ravenous devourer of the
rapacious cutworm of our gardens
and gladdens all the hours with its
inimitable melodies.
Would that we could see more OF
the bright little bluebirds that saved
the crops of early times by clearing
the ground and air of pestiferous
moths and other depredatory insects.
Who has made them so scarce7 Ask
the boys that robbed their nests, and
called it fun to chase them, to fire
stones at them, to share therein with
impunitY.
1 have known gardeners to pay
boys SO much per head for killing our
red-breasted robins, because they like
berries as much as we do. Such men
do not pause in their numbering arts
to consider the thousands upon thou
Sc. ., &C &C ;:;c,o.S insects which are
special enemies of their trees, that
the robins destroy. All, they do us
hundred fold more good than in
jury. Why not raise large quantities
of sand cherries and the red bird
cherries for them? The thrushes,
bluejays, orioles and others of that
class save the farmers grain from the
millions of preying worms and flies.
1t is common practice to war up
on the flocks Of blackbirds; even the
legislature of Minnesota had bounty
act Il think not repealed) for killing
them. Yet flock of these birds will
in avery short time clear newly
ploughed field of all the larvae of ruin
making insects upon the farmers
crops, if he will only let them live to
perform their beneficient mission.
Neither the blackbirds nor the COM
mon crows care so much for the corn
as they do for the grubs that are
guilty of destroying the tender blades
of corn.
II 6 prevailing belief among some
farmers that the woodpecker kills>the
trees it works on, when in fact that
bird saves his trees. He sends load
of shot into the heart of this red
headed philanthrophist, not knowing
that the tapping on the tree by this
bird is the death knell of the larvae of
some destructive insect.
Who tries to preserves and favor
our sweet singing meadow larks?
They are constant feeders on the I'm
derground larvae, blessing the farm
ers thousand fold. Who, hesitates
to shoot owls and hawks? The owls
especially feed on the night-fying
moths and beetles, preventing. the
laying of millions upon millions of
eggs of these depredatory insects.
They also prey upon the mice and
moles that otherwise might we'll nigh |
ruin the farmers crop. So you killed
the owl for the fun of it! And be-
cause the hawk carried off a chicken
or two, you shot it, when that very
bind oil tho lii7oiong day has been
clearing our field of mice, snakes,
lizards, grasshoppers, beetles and
other vermin.
Chief among the bird sins these
days is the women's blood guilt
ness of encouraging the killing of
our prettiest and sweetest singers so
that they can have something nice
and stylish on their headgear! Thus
the destruction of our birds for the
"fuu of killing" for mere spite, for
an objectionable fashion, is SO wide
spreading these times that all the air
and ground, despite our poisons by
spraying processes, are savagely del
uged with devouring insects upon our
gardens and fields.
j. 0. BARRETT.