Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-12-29
THE WORTH OF A BIRD.

III. w. Norris. naturalist OF Iowa
college at Grinnell. contributes TO the
Grinneil Herald some very interesting
information in a paper entitled How
Much is Bird WORTH" Professor
Morris estimates are made from diff
ferent point of view than the milliners
and are based upon the value OF the
bird living and under natural codni-
tions. or birds common in this sec
tion OF Iowa he says.
Forty-two per cent of the food of a
robin consists of insects: of the 5S per
cent of vegetable food AZ per cent is
of wild fruits. leaving only a very
small part obtained from cultivated
fruits and vegetables. or young rob-
1ns kept in captivity, each required
sixty-eigllt worms per day. or each
..afe Al per cent more than its own
weight In twelve hours At this rate
a man would eat seventy pounds OF
tlesh a day and drink five or six gal
ions OF water.
OF the food OF the bluebird rs per
cent is Of insects and related animals
TO cultivated fruits he does no HARM
The food of wrens consists OF IS per
cent insects. AS single pair Of wrens
Will rear from twelve to sixteen young
in a season and seldom go far from
the nesting place for food the value OF
single wren family in garden Is not
likely to be overestimated.
The food of swallows and martins
consists almost entirely of insects, ana
the number of insects destroyed by
them is almost beyond imagination.
Caterpillars form 81 per cent of the
food of the Baltimore oriole. Another
important part of its food are click
beetles, the larvae of which are among
the most destructive insects to trees
known Only 16 per cent of the orioles
food is vegetable. Insects form 70 per
cent Of the meadow lariS's food. 1t Is
especially fond of cut worms One
of our most beautiful birds is the rose
breasted grosbeak. Unfortunately his
beauty has made him a victim to the
bird on the-hat fashion. A pair of
rrosbeaks with their young have been
known to clean out completely the
Colorado potato beetles from a small
potato field that had been over-run by
the pests. The grosbeak is PRACTICAL
IN the only blTu cASrRt Tic aho'A A'aNe
will eat the potato beetle. In the
stomach of a single yellow billed
cuckoo have been found $50 tent cater
pillars. The cuckoos feed almost ex-
clusively upon animal food, being es-
pecially fond of hairy caterpillars that
other birds reject. The phoebe bird
deserves encouragement and protec-
-Stion. Insects and spiders form SO per
cent of its food, and as 1t seldom nests
far from a house il can do great good
TN a garden. The kingbird or bee bird
NJ he is sometimes known, has the
reputation of destroying many bees
OF the stomachs of PSI kingbirds ex-
amined, only fourteen were found te
these fourteen stomachs were founc
to contain the remains of honey bees. In
fifty honey bees, of which forty were
drones and only four We're certainly
workers Insects form 80 per cent o.
the kingbird's food. Woodpecksrs are
among our most beneficial birds, feed
ing chiefly on insects that infest trees
Wood boring beetles. caterpilars anc
wood estroyingi ants make up ths
bulk of their food. In the stomach o.
! single golden winged woodpeekel
were found over 5000 ants. Mr.. Beal
Of the department of agriculture, say:
thatsthe woodpeckers are the only
agents that can successfully cope VIII
certain insect enemies of the forest IS
and that TO them more than to an!
other agency we owe, the preservation
nf orr forests from the hordes of de-
structive insects. Woodpeckers like t
nest In rotten branches. If In trimming