Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1909-11-22
THE BIRDS
AND FORESTS WILL
Be DESTROYED
Well Known Naturalist Tells
Great Part Feathered Family
Plays in Assisting in Regen-
GRAFTON and Preservation.

Destroy the birds and in a com
paratively few years the insects will
have multiplied to such an extent that
trees will be denuded of their leaves
and much timber rendered Valueless
by w~ood-boring insects" was the in
teresting declaration made to a Morn
ing Journal representative Saturday
by Mr.. Frank Rush, a w~ell-known
naturalist who Is in the city for a few
hours before starting on a trip
to the Manzano national forest.
Mr.. Rush is probably better Informed
on bird and animal life than any other
mar in the west. Officially Mr.. Rush
is supervisor and game warden of the
Wichita national game preserve in
Oklahoma. Officially he has many Of
Ticial duties, such as raising buffalo.
antelope, deer and other like animals,
which are rapidly becoming extinct.
Privately Mr.. Rush has a hobby for
studying bird life and knows a great
deal about them. Mr.. Rush deplores
the needless slaughter of thousands of
birds annually. Asked as to how
birds could be protected against the
irresponsible persons who watonly
murder them. Mr., Rush replied that
almost all states have fairly good
game laws, which if they could be on
forced. would properly protect them.
IF our school boys and girls could
be educated to realize the economic
value of the birds and encouraged 10
study them more" said Mr., Rush, lit
would lessen very materially the de-.
sire to shoot birds or to rob their
nests. There are parts that every in
dividual car play in lessening the ur-
natural dangers of bird life and
while individual efforts may amount
to but little, the collective results will
soon be felt in the bird world.
1T is The duty. and should be the
pleasure. of every citizen to do all
in his power to protect the birds ami
encourage them to remain aLout our
houses and in our forests.
MANY of our birds are becoming
scarcer each year., while a few are.
already practically extinct, The chief
forces which work against the in
crease of bird life are man, the ele-
ments. accidents, and predatory ami
mails. Death from natural causes,
such as old age Inc disease is more
than counterbalanced by natural in
crease"
Discussing the Importance of pre-
serving the lives of birds from a for
estry standpoint, Mr.. Rush declared
that few people realize the important
part the feathered messengers play in
preserving the timber.
1T has been found by observation
said Mr.. Rush, that a cuckoo con
sumes daily from so to 400 caterpil-
lars, while a chickadee will eat from
200 to 500 insects, or up to 1000 in
sect or worm eggs. One hundred in
sects a day Is a conservative estimate
of the quantity consumed by each in
diViduai insect eating bird. Further
more, the birds of the forests which
on the seeds. fruits and in
sects of the forests are largely re-
sponsibie for the broadcast sowing
and natural reproduction Of Il tim
bered lands. When you see a bird
eating seed. fruit or nuts, you may be
sure that that bird Is a sower of that
seed to some extent Mt least. |
AS sewers of forest seeds, the Jay, the
Cedar Waxwing, and almost every
kind of woodpeckcr are among the
most valuable in this respect. Birds
do not always eat all the seed they
gather. but sometimes carry them
many miles before letting theT fall
to the ground, and in this way our
fea;hered foresters of long ago have
helped plant our forests"
|
II you miss the soiree at the CO.
.ombo hall tonight you will be missing