Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-07-04

from a belief that some species do more
harm than good To the orchard, thu
barnyard and the field.
Without taking into consideration the
rapturous songs OF some of Utah's COM
monest birds, such as that of the yell
low warbler (dendroica aestlva); ana
without splendor of such birds as the
Louisiana tanager (pyranga uidoNicl-
anal, let us see if there are not sucn
habits, in most OF our birds, that even
from a. pecuniary standpoint, II We're
better to let them chant in our gardens
undistuTbed.
TO the horticulturist. the gardner and
the farmer a study Of entomology Is
extremely important, as, without DOUBT,
some seasons crops are practically de-
stroyed by such pests as the Hessian
n.y. the chinch bug, the boil weeVil,
the codling moth and the san Jose
scale. In order fully to appreciate the
utility of our birds in preventing the
lavages of Insects, therefore, it will he
necessary to point out in detail, few
Of those birds which deserve our full
est protection for the service they ran
der.
CALIFORNIA GULL,
A bird that is beloved by every early
settler in Utah is the California Sea
Gull. which breeds, abundantly, on the
islands of Great salt, Lake. Years ago
when species of locust (melanoplus
spretus) obscurod the noonday sum ana
cleared away everything green, the
Sea Gulls destroyed the pest by con-
tinual process of eating and vomiting.
thus preventing starvation of the early
settlers. If Utah has sacred bird 1t
certainly is the Sea Gull.
1t Is Unnecessary to proceed further,
laG Gh birds
are blessing TO the intermountain
home Even the common English
sparrow dispatches the spiny larvae of
Vanessa antiopa, which kills our shade
trees. ana Is known to eat luna and
tussock moths large beetles tdytis-
cus) green cabbage worms winged
ants Ctermes navipes), angleworms
maple scale and an insect of the same
variety on the climbing rose,
We may say. then, generally, that
shrubs and small fruits perish from
the attacks of rose slugs, root worms,
strawberry slugs, leaf hopes, aphtds,
flea beetles. rose chafer, cut worms
and sphinx caterpillars, all of which
are deyoured by robins. canaricS, bluc
birds and Brewers sparrows
The garden is troubled with cub
bage worms cutworms, root maggots,
cucumber beetles, potato worms and
grasshoppers which In turn are eaten
with relish by the black headed
crosbeak robins and Brewers spar
rows.
The orchard trees perish from the
rnyages of codlng moths which are
slain by woodpockers; or from ants
and bark lice which are eaten by the
black headed crobeak; or from leaf
hoppers canker worms and leaf cater
pillars which are devoured by cat
birds. bluebirds, chickudecs, wax
ttrfr1ue and Ttu1lp9lk'g orioles
Sparrows, robins blackblrds. sea-
gulls and meadow larSs protect your
hay fields from the ruinous cutWormS.
army worms, cranelles. white grubs
and root borers.
The grain ueids all suffer from the
ravages of white grubs, wire worms
root lice. church bugs and ants; and
all Of these destructive insects are
Killed BY meadow larks, blacl5brds,
robins, woodpockers, and California
quail,
The timber In our mountains tights
continuously against bark horers and
trunk bOrers but Woodpcckers, blue
birds, brown creepers and chickadees
destroy the larger part of these pests.
SWamps ana ponds are made un-
pleasant az times, hy the presence of
angleWorms, green locusts, and cntor-
pillars, but these are all devoured by
red winged blaclthirds: and water
beetles, water bugs dragon hes and
May flies fall similarly, before ducks
and cotbirds
In the summer time, when the air
seems filed with dangerous Wusps,
winged ants, ana beetles besides
moths. flies aud locusts II is pleasant
20 know that swallows kinghirds ana
Wilson llycalchois are doing ihDir
best 10 exterminato these things. ana
I'm the summer evening. when an about
the camp are would be romantic and
refreshing were II not for the mos
qutoes, moths bugs ana nios which
poster our faces how dcliBhtful n ls
10 listen Tor thoir enc MICS the night
hGwiS and the NhppourWill!
IN the face of such service beauty
ma song, who can hayo the heart to
destroy our nirdsP
RED SHAFTED FLICKER
IN describing our insectivorous
birds Il scems necessary 10 commence
with species concerning which thcrc
can be no doubt The WondpecNers.
The Red Shafted Flicker rs very Ike
~ om most common woodpecker, bee
ing known by nearly every schoolboy.
II Is about l3 inches long. and as
handsome as u is large The under
surfaces OF lts tain feathers, the fenther
shafts and Wings are as YOU may
prove 10y examining ono closely orange
rod; while the spots underneath, the
crescent on its breast ana The bands
on its back, are black. Its back is "a
glossy purpllsh-hroWn ana there h
red patch on each of the male birds
checks.
Though somewhat noisy about hous-
es' TINS Flicker Is. nevertheless. one OF