The Cairo bulletin., 1908-03-15
TWO STUDENTS TRAMP 1891
MILES THROUGH STATE TO
GATHER DATA.
SPARROW THE OUTLAW
Analysis OF Stomachs Shows Great
Majority of Species Useful to
the Farmer-Meadow
Lark Most Valuable.

nois four times, taking every bird IL
| its path, how many birds would i
| enclose? How many of each kind
How would the numbers differ il
fields of different crops, in different
sc ctions of the state, and at different
seasons of the year? And If such &
capture We're made, how could it be
useful to the farmer? That very
thing, in effect, has ben done, and the
meaning and results of it, as obtained
| from State Entomologist S. A. Forbes
iof Urbana, make story well worth
tclline.
Why This Census?
Thousands of birc stomachs have
been examined, revealing the kind and
quantity of food, and hence whether
the different species work for or
against agriculture. but until we
know approximately the number of
each species the kind of fields it
fre quents, at what time of the year
il is principally to he found, and how
long ii remains, we can not tell how
take principal effect Without this
knowledge we can not tell how much
it will pay us to do for or against
any species of bird
The First Bird Census.
The first such Census ever made
was by Dr Forbes assistants upon
the 1Ooacre stock and grain farm of
the University in 19O5-0G. They made
CT visits to this place, investigating
AZ acres at time, and travelling in
all 123 miles upon the farm.
The total number of birds sighted
was 5,2U. They flushed only 81
kinds of birds, and g species made UP
81 pcr cent of all the summer birds.
During the summer Al per cent of all
were backbirds, ~ per cent were
English sparrows, | per cent were
oowbirde, 4 per cent meadow larks
(the NEST valuable bird on the farm)
per cent mourning doves, and 2h
per cent robbins. fjut this means
only one blackbird to IL acres, a
sparrow to 2 acres, n cowDird to 10
acres a dove 20 lG acres and a robin
to 20 acres.
Combining the stomach analyses
with this census 2l1& per cont Of the
more abundant summer birds on this
farm were more or les useful, ii per
cont of rather doubtful utility, and
70 per cont dhe sparrows) definitely
injurious. OF the winter birds, IS
per cent wore more or less useful, %
per cent doubtful, and 30 per cent in.
furious
Novel Trip of Two YOUNG Men.
This plan of investigation proving
entirely satisfactory it was adopted a
few months later for a bird survey of
the entire state.
Two assistants OF Or. Forbes,
MessrB A. Q. Gross aud H. A. Ray.
trampcd 1.59l miles through northern
central and southern Illinois in "A
trips during the year beginning Aug
ust % 1907 identifying every bird
upon strip Of land $50 wide, thus
taking tho first spring midsummer.
fall and winter bird census Of Illinois
They found during the summer. 7740
birds, or an average of practically one
bird per acre living I'll the state
through the summer season. Eighteen
nor cent Of all were English sparrows.
On this basis the total summer popt
lation Of the state. figured separately
for its three divisions, numbered near
L. 81 million birds, of which 81 mil
ions were sparrows.
The Ten Principal Species.
Eighty-iive species OF birds were
sighted in the summer Inspection, but
70 per cent OF these belonged to ten
species. as follows English sparrow
1.414; meadow lark, 1.O25: crow
blackbird, 900, mourning dove. 461;
dickcissel, 1893, red winged blackbird
al7: prairie horned lark. 296: flicker
1917: Rcbin, 1911; and field sparrow.
lS6.
A Peculiar difference.
The English sparrow decreased in
numbers per sqautc mile from north
to south (perhaps because they pre-
fer the vicinity of huu,%l dwellings,
and the population GIminishes south
ward } for every 100 in northern Hi
nois there were but I in central and
sc In southern Illinois. But she native
birds increased lron north to south
apparently For climatic reasons. IN
the ratios Of 10. ZIG, and 12a. The
same graduation was till more pro
rornced in the fall and winter resi-
dents Birds were moro abundant
during the iall migration than during
the summer season. the central hi
nois average for OctoOer was more
than twice that for the summer
mCnthg
What the Grove Were Donu.
As an examine of the vaY there
statistics help the farmer to recognize
his friends and thus ~ protect them.
take the case of the crow. II was
we'll known that crows feed in part
upon white grubs. but { was not
Known whether this service was of
much Importance to the farmer until
this census revealed 131 crows per
square mile in pastures in the fall OF
1906, and az per square mile on
plowed land The pastures of that