The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1902-11-04

SttL tdJlUR DlfuS.
With the destruction Of the forests,
the busy little nuthatch, the sapsuck-
ers, the many creepers and woodpeck-
ers, have almost disappeared. The
red-head and the golden-winged wood
pecker, or flicker" are most numer-
Gus, but they are almost omniverous,
eating anything that comes in their
way, being especially fond of fruits.
and berries. The other varieties OF
the woodpecker family which live up
on insects alone, are almost entirely
gone. There was time when such
birds were found in great numbers in
orchards, eating borers and other
| larvae by the millions. Now these in
sects are undisturbed and live to prop
agate their kind until every apple,
pear, peach or plum that grows has
an egg deposited within 1t that blights
! and ruins 1t as the egg develops and
! the worm eats into the vitals.
Not only has this class of birds dis
| appeared, or almost SO, but the large
family of sparrows, goldfishes chats,
blue birds, robins, and the many feath-
cred friends that erstwhile made the
air redolent with song and fed upon
the insect life, have become so scarce
that they are rarity. A quarter of a
century ago there were varieties of
birds in every section of Ohio that
are not now seen at all.
1t Is not that they are destroyed
wantonly, at least in the north. Peo-
pie are becoming educated out Of that
kind of cruelty. The law protects
them. and the style for wearing their
wings upon ladies hats is no longer a
rage.
The disappearance of the forest has
much to do with the decadence OF
the birds, but the coming of the Eng
lish sparrow has had more to do with
1t than any other one thing. The ma
tive birds with very few exceptions
are migratory. They go south and
when they come back their places arc
taken up by the pugnacious little i'm
portation who seems to have permeat.
ed every nook and corner of the towns
and country. The martin boxes are
full of them, they crowd the caves
where the swallows had been wont tc
build their adobe homes. The knot
holes where Jennie Wren and hel
spouse had for years looked upon as
her especial property is now occupied
by Johnny Bull and his tribe o
youngsters. Instead of a neat littlC
nest that showed evidences of goot
housekeeping, there is stuffed into The
crevices an indiscriminate mass o
straw. rags and feathers, and
myriad of red mites or bird lice
swarming over it all. Jennie Wrer
| gives herself ilirt, as only she can
: and says to her mate that she will
never 90 to hDusekpeDin in tha
place unless he provides lot of but
exterminator, and away they fly t.
: some remote corner of the fores
5 where aliens are unknown.
: All agree that this is the true caus
of the greater part of the trouble
1t is here to stay. The English spar
: row can never be eXterminated. Mai
: was not satisfied to have the bird LIANT
: of America peopled with the song
( sters that God first placed here. H
: is now paying the penalty.
S Paris gree, london purple, the Bor
= deauX mixture, sprays, busters, ant
= all the contrivances and decoCtion
I. that have been used for the destruc
2 tion of the insects that formerly wer
food for the birds, go. to emphasize tn
= magnitude of the blunder that wa
! made when the sparrow was intro
e duced into this country.
| The birds cannot be restored to thei
e former numbers and usefulness an
the farmer and fruit raiser will hav
to depend upon artificial methods (
! do what the little feathered song
S sters did for him gratuitously a fey
: years ago.