Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-08-14
VALUE OF BIRDS.
How They Assist the Farmers Of the
United States.


of the damage done by certain birds,
but before birds as a class are con-
demned it might be we'll to examine
the stomachs of few to see what they
are feeding upon. in this way the
farmer can readily ascertain which
birds are a benefit and which Il detri
ment.
1t must not be forgotten that, no
matter what the parent birds feed on.
they must provide insect food for their
young. and in seeking this food birds
do not consider if they arc benefttins
the farmer or not. In this search they
are apt to gather some of our friends
as well as many of our enemies.
In the spring birds very often feed
on Injurious beetles, as at that time
they are about the only insect food
availa BILE. At times birds are COM
PEELED to discriminate in the kind of in
sects they consume. for the reason that
some are not so easily caught. and
not because they can discriminate be-
tween the injurious ones to the farmer.
G'he king bird has been accused of
being injurious, as he has a habit of
catching bees. and yet the examination
of his stomach will prove that il con-
tains more injurious insects than bees.
The redwins blackbird eats many
seeds of noxOus weeds, when supply
of grain can easily be found. and the
robin though considered a grain eater.
destroys many seeds and berries of
noXiCus weeds and plants. The colo
RADIO potato BEETLE has been found in
the somach of these varieties of birds.
The grosbeak feeds largely on the po-
tato lug. but this variety of bird is
very scarce il this section of the coun-
try
The best bird friend the fruit grower
has is the w"odpeckei, which feeds on
he beetles that infeSt trees and also
on the ants that are found on trees.
Th" b'ueiay lives on the tent caterpil-
lar in winter. Nearly half OF the food
of the cuckoo consists of caterpillars
of various kinds; Professor f. f. l..
Beal gives an instance of where 80
specimens of caterpillars were found
in the stomach of Il single cuckoo
This bird feeds so largely on the fuz-
~ caterpillar that the fuzz has been
known to pierce the stomach and the
thoroughly covered with this fuzz
Professor Ijeal of the New Jersey
State Horticultural society says great
complaint has been made of birds de-
stroyins fruit and grain, but on in
vestigation it has been found that
he birds have been so abundant that
each ones eating small quantity
amounts to ii great deal in the aggre-
gate vet. there has been found but
little in the stomach of each and they
were doing more good than harm. the
weed seeds amounting to "a per cent.
OF th"lr food. 1t is hard to strike a
balance as if Il brid eats quart of
berries and also Il quart of injurious
insects. no man can tell the harm that
might have been done by the insects
and their progeny. while we can put
a market value on the fruit What
the 'lortlcuiturist il demanding is Il
general lowering of this injurious in
sect life. In no better wav can this
be done than by encouraging the in
crease Of birds by providing suitable
resting places and by protecting. them
in every way.
\ 1l@ English sparrow, imported from
anoth"r country, was not very bene-
hcial bird in its natural home. and on
being transferred to new environments;
has beeom" an injurious species here.
1t is not desirable to import foreign
species to this country, as it has
proved to be a failure wherever at
tempted. Protect our own birds, which
every farmer can do on his own prem
Ises # he will-Philadelphia Record.