The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1905-01-21

ne is Just as anxious to protect them as
his grandfather may have been TO de-
stroy them.
The easiest way for the farmer or for
any one else for that matter, to
find out in general way which, of the
birds are beneficial and which are
harmful to US. is TO write to the Sec
rotary of Agriculture for free PAM
phlets on this subject. These publica-
tions contain the results of careful ex-
periments made by the government, at
great expense and without prejudice
for or against the birds, directly for
the benefit of the farmer, and indirect
ly for the benefit of the entire country.
The best way for him to get the same
information is to go out on his farm
and into the country surrounding it,
and watch the birds at their daily
work; not just when they happen to be
in the cherry tree or the poultry, yard,
but all through the year. He may not
have time TO do this during warm
weather, but even in winter he can get
some slight idea of the value of the
wild birds, by carefully watching those
which are on his premises at this sea-
son. Let him go into his orchard, and
see for himself what some of the birds
are doing for fruit trees.
Probably one of the first he will see
Will be woodpecker of some kind,
and in that case, he is sure to see a
very useful bird. OF the forty odd
species and sub-species of woodpeekers
in this country, only one is sometimes
destructive to the trees. This is the
yellow-bellied sapsucker, but as he
does does not usually winter north of
| Virginia, it is not likely that he will be
seen here. Ten to one it will be a
dcwny or a hairy woodpecker. These
two are much alike in general appear
ance except that the latter is eonsid,
erably larger than the former, in either
case he will be found very busy search
ing for the devouring insects eggs,
larvae and adult insects of one kind
or another, which have their home on
in or below the bark of the tree. Some
of these insects are pests of the worst
sort, and if they were not gathered up
by the birds in the winter: the trees
would be alive with them in the spring
tttlN III iLldAIy GdSCS 'LltSJ WYNN AE5AASJ
not only the fruit, but in some cases
even the trees themselves. OF course
these birds carry on their warfare all
through the rest of the year, eating
ants, eaterpillars and crawlers OF many
kinds of thousands, but the farmer be-
ing busy with other matters, will not
be so likely to see them at it.
Perhaps the next bird to appear
may be nuthatch, bird much small
er even than the downy woodpecker
and quite different, in appearance and
manners. 1t may be white-breasted
bared-breasted nuthatch, but in eth
er case he will be seen to be a very
important little parsonage; not a hard
,er worker than the 4, woodpeckeI
perhaps, but with a greater appear
ance to hustle. The, woodpecker usu-
ally moves from lower point to 9
higher, or sidewise if necessary-s el'
dom down a tree for any distance. and
never head first in this direction. The
nuthatch seems to have no particular
rule about this: when he wants to Sc
up, he goes up, and when he wants TO
| go down, down he goes, and head first
every time, sometimes pausing In the
most absurd attitudes, with his neck
stuck out at right-angles from the
trunk, to eye an observer who may be
rude enough to stand and watch him.
Or our farmer may see band, OF
chickadees, of whose identity no one
can ever be In, doubt, since they repeat
their own name over and over, where's
ever they go, as they swing, often head
downwards among the twigs.. Very
tame they are at this season, and with
but a little patience, they will feed
from ones hands or lips, as they did
from mine more than a hundred times
last winter. They are engaged In the
same work as the woodpeckers and the
nuthatches, viz, the determination Of
myraids of insects, which if allowed
to increase unchecked, would make the
work of the fruitgrower. heart-break-
ing and Improbable. T
Let the farmer now look over the
fields beyond the orchard and observe
that clear-cut figure of q hawk sailing
in circles against the sky. If he will
but believe it. that is feathered SER
want. working conscientiously from
dawn until dusk and without pay to
rid his farm of the rats, mice and 9TH
er rodents which play such havoc with
his property at all times of the year,
il has been estimated that that hawk
will destroy in one year, a thousand
mice or their equivalent in noxious
insects, and the farmer need not be
told what a thousand mice can do to
his fruit trees in the course OF one
severe winter. He knows, only too
well perhaps, that they can kill more
than as many trees, by girdling them
with their teeth as saw many a hun
bred trees killed last winter I'M the
same way. Now and then hawk of
some species will get a chicken from
his poultry yard, but let him not be
hasty to revenge the act. What other
workman can he get to do so much
honest work at so small wage? In
that hollow appIe-tree by the barn. he
| may find a screech owl DOING; and at
dusk this soft-winged bird. will take
! up the work of mouse-hunting where
| the hawk left off. VI
If the farmer will only study the ha.
| bits of the birds he sees before under
| taking to shoot any OF them, and Their
shoot only those which he proves have
| done him more harm than good, his
crops will be larger, and his bill for
| powder and shot will never keep hin,