Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-05-09

SoYa> g WAS made !. i |,
week. More than %, 600 quail, grouse
and ducks have BEEN eoniscated no
cause they were shipped In violation OF
the Federal law known as the Lacey
act, Charges have been brought
against AS men for the violation. A
few live songbirds were taken by the
authorities at the same time. The
Federal authorities are going to enforce
the laws They have warned law
breakers of their intentions.
1t ia very desirable to have birds
about every house, yard, orchard and
barn, Birds are most numerous about
the farms. They can be attracted to
thess places best at nesting time. A
box placed on pole 10 or 20 feet high
is almost certain to become the home OF
pair of blue birds. This bird ia uni
versally respected. The little wren
will he satisfied with an old tin can for
nest provided it is placed in the
woodshed out Of reach OF the cat. The
purple martin enjoys good roony
house and is valuable bird to have
around. twill drive away the hawks.
In early times efforts were made to
exterminate certain birds such as the
crows, blackbirds and rice birds, which
were considered injurious to agricul-
ture.
As early as 1910 Delaware authorized
a fund for paying bounty on crows.
In 1879 Delaware also established the
precedent OF paying premiums on hawks
and owls by offering so cents for all
species except 'tishhawks and mousse
owls. " Other States adopted this law
and premiums were paid until the
States found the bounties too burden.
some. The following taken from the
Year Book Of the Department of Agri-
culture for 1899 gives good idea of the
money thus expended:
Though the average bounty law
seldom remains in fcroe more than two
or four years, 1t may prove costly
experiment and do much harm. Maine
spent more than Sl2, 900 in her two at
tempts at crow DETERMINATION in 1890
1884 and 1889 1891, Illinois more than
s55, 600 for English sparrows in 1891
1896, Michigan about S6l, 800 for Eng.
lish sparfows In lS87-1995, and Penn
sylSania about 500. goo for hawks and
owls in lsS5.lS87. Altogether it is safe
to say that the systematic destruction
of birds in this country during the
century has cost more than $3.50, COO,
and most of this money has been spert
by half dozen States during the last
10 years. Since the exposure OF the
evils of the Pennsylvania seal . act there
has been tendency to repeal bounties
on useful birds of frey, and so far aH
possible, to provide against fraud.
Premiums on crows and blaukbirds have
been practically abandoned, and almost
the only important ones still in force
are those or the English sparrow.
Prof Lawrence Bruner makes the
following interesting statements con
corning the destruction of insects In
Nebraska by birds. His illustrations
may be applied TO any other State pro-
vided the number of acres is taken as
the basis Of computation.
In nearly every case where the food
habits of our birds have been carefully
studied, we find that the good done
far exceeds the possible harm that may
be inflicted by them. Allowing % In.
scots per day as an average dict for
each Individual bird to the acre, or in
round numbers $1,000, 600 birds in
Nebraska, there would be- <reauired
1879, OO0,000 insects for each day g
rationH.
Again, estimating the numuer Of
insects required 10 fill n buHhel at
l2O, ZOO, 1t would take Is. 625 bushels Of
insects to feed our birds for a single
day, or 937, 500 bushels for Gu DAYS, or
2,3i3, $50 bushels for f50 days. These
estimates arc very low when we take
into consideration the numbers Of in
sects that various Of our birds have
been known tn daatrnv ia n r;p1Io 49,
For example, the stomaohs of four
chickadees contained 1,02S eggs Of
canker worms. -Four others contaired
about 600 eggs and los mature females
OF the same insect The stomach Of a
single quail contained l0l potato
beetles. and that of another upward OF
900 chinchbugs. yellow billed
cuckoo, shot at O'Clock in the morn
ing. contained 43 tent caterpillars. A
robin had eaten 175 Larvae of Bibio,
which feed nm tha rnnts of 1roseas A. u