The Washington herald., 1907-03-31
BY FREDERIC j. HASKIN.

The general ignorance OF our people
about the birds Of the United. states has
often caused grave disaster among the
crops. and has lost TO the agricultural ele-
ment Of the country many millions Of
dollars a year. Whole colonies OF birds
are wantonly destroyed by bos-hunters.
not because they are game birds but be-
cause they oner bright targets for new
guns. Millions OF others are killed By
irate farmers, who are firmly convinced
that every time a crow, blackbird, a
hawk. or an oSI is slain, that he has
done a great service 10 his poultry-yard
and his crops g'his alarming ignorance.
and unnecessary slaughter of its feather
ed citizens. led the United States govern
ment TO make an investigation Meas
ures we're taken to summon each gay or
dull-coated suspect before the bar Of JUS
tice and give him fair trial.
Men with field glasses and other para
phernalia Of the naturalist went all over
the country and proceeded 10 study birds.
For long hours they lay in The fields and
meadows, and watched the birds come and
go. They watched what they liked best
to eat. whether it was marketable grain,
OF the weed-seed that would prove injuri-
Gus to the field next season IL allowed TO
grow; whether it was some helpful in
sect or small animal, or some one that
each year was able TO destroy whole
crops. They killed mans birds and sent
the crops back to the head labora-
tory in Washington. where over 1900
have been examined, and the contents
sheet Is kept for each bird. and when
the contents Of his crop have been
analyzed and entered under various heads
the sheet is tooted up and shows in care
fully proved figures whether he is a good
and helpful citizen, or one whose exist
ence had best end.
II there be anything a farmer hates it
is an owl OF a hawk. Occasionally he
has seen chickens and small barRyard
fowls carried away in their cruel claws.
such depredati0Bs will drive him into
bankruptcy Yet II a certain Kansas farm
eF had had a good SUI ny of owls and
hawks a few years ago he could have
saved his $lz5.000 orchard which WAS de-
su0yed by field mice these being the
choicest morseis on which they feed. The
government summoned these offenders be
fore the bar of justice. and collected evi-
dence foF and against them. Il was
found that as long as the animals and
insects which are enemies Of man can be
secured. that the hawk and the owl feed
on these by preference. that barnyard
depredations come only when the wild
supply is inadequate. which is rare, and
that The hawk and the owl are compile
meBtary 10 each other. the one hunting
by day, the other By night.
The court divided these offenders into
four classes; the wholly beneficial; the
chiefly beneficial. the ones in which the
beneficial ana harmful qualities about
balanced; and the harmful species. To
the astonishment of the farmer the pre-
p0nderance Of evidence is in favor of the
Owl and the hawk. instead Of against
them. and in the wholly beneficial class
are the ones he has been al war against
for generations-the rough-legged hawk.
the squirrel hawk, and the four kites that
are Indigenous 10 this country. All the
owls are found 10 be in the chiefly bene-
fetal class except the horned owl. and
his good points are equally balanced by
his bad ones The majority of eagles are
IA the same class with the horned owl,
while six members Of the hawk family
are condemned, the Cooper hawk being
second only to the English sparrow in
point of destructiveness.
That noisy braggsrt and freebooter. the
blue-jay. was summoned for trial. The
great naturalist Audubon himself, had
given this loquacious eoxconb a bad