Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1905-04-13
A Chapter on Birds.
WASHINGTON, D. c.,

APRIL 10. 1905.
DEAR REGISTER. week "Obser-
yer" made an appeal for the protection
of the birds in our county, which was
timely at this beginning of the nesting
season.
wonder if our farmers, gardeners,
BOYS and girls ever heard OF the I'm
mense number OF insects, worms, and
weed seed the birds destroy daily and in
season.
A careful observer Of the Smithsonian
Institute counted that single pair OF
house wrens carried TO their Dung
!, 900 insects in one day. At this rae
Young brood of wrens destroyed 10000
insects, including 600 cut-worns, so bad
on the corn crop.
Again, the craws Of three mourning
doves examined had %, 100 noxious
weed seed in them. So we reason these
birds are a great help to the farmer and
should be protected from thoughtless
gunners.
The sweetness of the song OF the
meadowlark ought 10 protect 1t. 1t is a
great destroyer of cut-worms, insects,
curculio, wireworms and chinch bugs
also. The latter alone has destroyed in
the United States in the last half CEN
tury 300 million dollars worth Of grain.
Fortunately the lark is protected by
law in most States.
The same plea may be made for the
flicker, wood-pecker, sparrow hawk,
screech owl and robin. all great insect
destroyers and should not be killed.
In one town in Tennessee 100, 900 rob-
ms are killed annually and sold at sc
a dozen. What shame to kill such
cheerful, rollicking fellow. who sings
and twitters so joyfully while nestin g
near US.
The robin migrates assfar north as
Alaska. He makes 25 miles a day up to
the Canadian line and then jumps to GO
to 70 a day as the spring opens faster be
yond that line.
The golden plover is more remarka-
BILE for its travelling. 1t raises its
young near the Arctic circle, then flies
northeast to Labrador and fatten on the
curlew berry which grows in abundance
there, then starts due south from Lab
rador, passing Burmuda Islands, Porto
Rico, across South America, to Argen-
tina, 5000 miles. Arriving lean and
lank, after his long fight, he stays 8
month builds up his strength by rest
and again begins his travelling north but
this time goes up the western side OF the
United States. Why does he do it
Birds do not seem to be exhausted so
much by these long flights, else they
would avoid it.
The Smithsonian watchers say they
expected to see the birds fly from Flori-
da to Cuba and on down to South
America by easy stages, but they do not
do it. They wing their flight from the
Southern States straight across the Gulf
of Mexico 700 miles to South America,
with apparent ease.
Reports from lighthouses in southern
Florida show that birds leave Cuba on
cloudy nights when they cannot posi-
bly, see the Florida shores, and safely
reach their destination. But if mean
time storm arises to throw them out
of their reckoning they become beWil-
dered, lose their ways, and fly towards the
lighthouse beacon. Unless killed by
striking the lantern, they hover near or
alight on the balcony, to continue their
flight when morning breaks or a clear
sky allows them once more to determine
the proper course.
We also know that in our boyhood
days the wild geese and swans on the Po-
tomac just flew up and down the river
bewildered on cloudy days as we fred
volleys at them. but the moment the
clouds lifted they went out of reach.
During migration birds are peculiar
ly liable to destruction by striking high
objects.
The Washington monument has caus.
cd the death of many, and though the
number Of its victims has decreased OF
late years,yet on a single morning in the
spring of 1902 nearly 100 lifeless bodies
were strewn around it, base. Last week
the Waterman there told me he often
got bucketful dead.
While the torch in the Bartholdi
Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor
was kept lighted the sacrifice Of life was
enormous, even reaching as much as 700
birds in q month.
Let US take care Of our birds, and order
every gunner off the place, since they do
so much good and are so very interest
ing in all their ways.
Respectfully,
JAuEa NJ FNGTN