The Washington herald., 1908-07-12
By ROY CRANDALL.

who supervises the stufiing OF the weekly
salary envelope should summon you 20
his presence some fine sunshiny morning
and say: Go out and count the birds
IN the State and let me know how many
there are. Pay especial attention as you
move about and note the different species.
the number OF each species. and. Oh. by
the way, sort EN- out by the acre and
make a note OF the character Of the
ground you see them on. Don't skip any.
You can go now"
Well. wouldn't It jar you to get those
orders? Would you make a start. or
would you make a quick disappearance
and look for another job?
Two young men connected with the Il
linois State laboratory OF natural science
received those orders differently phrased)
from Prof. s. A. Forbes a couple OF
years ago, and they've been counting ever
since. They have criss-crossed Illinois in
sunshine and in shadow; in wintry winds
and summer zephyrs walking always
ninety feet apart and letting no guilty
bird escape this unique aerial census.
Now they are willing 20 let the news
go forth that there are residents in ILL.,
nois IN the summer months approximately
go 10000 birds. That means that not less
than 1.H4.0)0.0O0 live IN the entire coun-
try; possibly far more than that. for in
many OF the Southern States the birds
outnumber those OF Illinois by ten 10 one.
Learning, then, for the first time that
such a count has been made. scores Will
ponder on the problem the simple state
ment creates.
Count the birds, why7 What's the
use? Why did anybody so TO all that
trouble and how will anybody gain?
What does II matter IL there are ten birds
In a State or ten thousand. or ten billion?
What II the birds are more plentiful than
ticks on a COW or ticks In a watch? What
does II all mean?
II means much, according 90 the Fed
eral biologists who study natures eco
nomics; one learned biologist going so
far I'm discussing birds and their ways as
70 make the following startling assertion
a few days since:
IF by some unforeseen catastrophe all
OF the birds Of the country were to sud
denly disappear we would face famine
( in three years and North America would
/ become a wasted continent incapable Of
supporting human life"
Rather a startling statement. but per
I haps more fully appreciated when en-
ph0sis is laid on The fact that the birds
are the best friends the farmers have.
and that they aid agriculture 10 an In
credible amount by destroying the hun
Il a & II
and worms which II left Unresuained
would cat the growing crops, destroy the
vines devour the trees, and leave the
country's face as bare as though n vast
/ fire had swept il from ocean 10 ocean
and from the Lakes 70 the Gulf. Besides
thus battling. through seemingly unsatis-
\ fed appetites. 20 XII the countless num-
/ bers Of bugs and worms which attack
all growing things, the birds eat as well
\ thousands Of tons OF nOXiOus weed seed
annually. keeping In check another men
/ ace 20 agriculture that would be beyond
human skill and power to overcome with
out such aid And knowing as they DO
the benehcient effects Of birds the biolo-
gists have long battered against an I'm
I movable wall OF ignorance because there
was not even an estimate OF the number
/ Of birds for them 20 use as a basis for
while the savant who ordered that count.
and the men who made Il. make no claim
as 10 its correctness they do assert IL
gives a base for study and a starting
point for deduction.
There is a very interesting mass OF
knowledge obtainable through even a
step-over-the-surfac study Of birds and
their unceasing toll for the public good.
and as one begins that study the wonder
grows that the near-sighted men OF the
land butcher their feathered friends and
co-laborers with savagery. while II they
were awake TO their own selfish interests
they would make il hot for anybody who
killed a bird in their presence. That
there are any birds left IS also some
thing OF n wonder. for fashion and sport
have in the past few years brought death
not 10 millions. but 10 billions OF birds
and every bird killed was a distinct loss
the noisy English sparrow alone excepted
Every other bird that flies is Of greater
use to man when alive than when dead
That includes even the hawks and the
owls, yet every farmer regards them a.
enemies and ever keeps the blunderbus.
loaded 10 destroy the first one seen cir
cling in the air or resting on the barr
girders.
"Pesky chicken thief" mutters the far
mer as he slyly sneaks 90 the house anC
gets the gun. With care he crawls Close
TO his feathered benefactor. draws 8
bead. and pulls the trigger. Then h,
nails the carcass OF the dead hawk OF
owl 20 his barn door as a warning and
pats himself on the back at the thought
he has saved his chickens.
field mice are engaged in eating the barl
from his apple. peach. pear. and plum
trees and tho following spring he find!
a dead orchard and realizes that he hal
suffered a loss OF hundreds or even thou
sands of dollars. The butchered owl ol
the slaughtered hawk was bent on de
stroying those field mice; was, In fact
visiting that particular farm because o.
the prospective banquet II left on eartl
1t might have saved the orchard.
These bird benefactions are no longer
question OF guess Science has mad,
gruesome studies to get the fact. and fl
the division OF Economic Biology Of tn
Department OF Agriculture long rows o
Jars testify to sacrifices made In tn
search. The contents OF the Jars ar
"iiN 9''iii'NiS- AN0io iAS '4iVNSaiuo q
them; taken from every species OF bird
+ at various seasons of the year and unde
j varying conditions OF climate and crol
, development With skill almost incredl
bic to the lay mind the wizards of the di
vision open those tiny internal eGonOm,
, sacs" and with the aid of a microscop
learn what the diet OF that particular bir
T. was. They learn by fragments so smal
as to be invisible 20 the naked eye tina
: he was lunching on the legs OF the Dol
I weevil-that pest that causes an annua
! loss OF millions Of dollars TO the Southern