The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1910-03-09
BIRD PROTECTION
'0nIinued from First Page

tive. Beetles OF various kinds form
u per cent. grassh6pperS and crick
IS form , per cent. In August they
comprise over 90 per cent u the food. /
Both Of these classes OF insects ara
serious pests and any bird that de- /
strnys than are too valuable TO kill |
Tn other Il pei cent Of the Insect !
food consists II moths and butterflies |
BEES. "aspS and ants. Many Iarvrae /
II the cwiet-moths are eaten "a family /
II which includes caterpillars. 50 we'll /
known and dreaded by the name o. /
cut worms. one robin 4ad no less /
than 10 army worms IN its stomach |!
and contained l25 march HES.
=. r. Hodgr. Of Clark University |
Worcester Mass. speaking OF the |
Bob White quail Of thu North and |,
Northwest partridge IF the South. !
says thu Bob White is the most valu- |
ah.,- and important bird in existence
Tor the American home garden and |
farm. Il dos practically n" harm F!
whatever and Seems 70 specialize on !
the most D"<tifer"us insects and weed !
seeds. and its large size compared
with other insect-v"rpus birds rem
ders i capable Of doing an amount Of
good service which f-w people realize |
From different crops representing a
single meal (and thu bird nils lis crop
from six - tn times a day have
been taken 800 seeds % sorr-I. 100
Of rag weed. 5.0G0 ot pigeon grass
lh.6"" ~ pig weed. a tablespoonful OF
chinch bugs and over 100 potato bee
tbs Feeding tests with a Pct bob
whit" have revealed the possibilities
of the BIRDS work in a garden or field
IN IN" day" adult potato beetles.
another l2<6 rus~ SlugS, another 5000
plant lice and ID. mosquitoes in two
NuurS in addition 10 tn, above the
bird = known to fed upon thu cotton
worm, tn" bo.I-worm the Mexican
cotton boll W--Vil. rut worms. Cabblg.
worms cucumber beetles. squash bugs
grasshopprrs and criCkets. army
HuIms and thu. H-ssian fly. II the
estimated 5000. 000 600 annual damage
| 70 farm crops in the United States
from insect ravaees is correct. and il
is much too low. ii anything. the bob
Whites alone might saw US over half
the amount il the peopl" would give il
| 4 chance. altho tons OF millions would
| -" saved i'll weed seed destruction.
Kirk MHnr"-. honorary vice presi-
| drnr Florida Audubon Society. makes
| this highly interesting statement.
| Florida i pr"-enin.nt!y an aSricu,-
,uraI state and fruit raising IS one
Of its chief Industries. Thu hardest
| fight Of th- fruit growers is against
! I'll" hord-s OF insects. aphidrS. ants.
| bugs. beetles. caterpil'arS. sra sShon-
nrrs flies and grubS that direct their
! min" energies nor only to the do
| Stru,ti"n - his crop. but Of his trees
! ), hi>h they attack in leaf bark and
! root He nights them with sprays,
/ washes ana fumigati0ns. and perhaps
! succeeds III destroying nnr b",-tl. out
| II !. Thousand onr arhis in million.
and on" ant ont OF 4 billion His -
! forts AZ" expensive NOR "T I.sS in
+, iuriun.. and ridiculous in their incfi-
! cheney. In spite, ot them ne would he
| quickly driven out IF business Werr il
! not for an arm! nf trained allies.
fal,lt. sharp eyed. tirel.SS and ,ag.r to
devote, their time To his service with
ont paN. ! mean - C"urs.. th birds
without which our fair state would
quickly become uninhabitab,". y not
"A French scientist has declared that
| Without birds to check the raNaC-S 81
insects human life would vanish from
tn" planet within III" short space II
nine years. and ! venture the prcdir-
ton that in hal fthat tim" no on. Of
~ could live in Florida. were our
birds 20 leav" suddenly for PLACES
/ where their services al" h..ttcT apprc-
cittcd- In our Uncomfortable folly. We
of Florida never hesitate to Kill a bird
j" seized with an inclination To do so.
\ httl. gray coated chap fitting from
tree TO tree. in search Of insects that
arc supDine their lit". offers y tempt
ing mark. and We blaze away At him
with 32-inCh riff. just - So. if
V" can ht him. Besides thu in~er-
teranous birds upon whose Efforts ""
are absolutely dependent for success
in every branch III agriculture. th' Y
;cl,. "f in. stma biz VALUE. az tourist at
fractions Was there ever = North
en- man in Florida who did not listen
for his first muckinC birds song "T
watch with delight the fishing Of Il
pelican? Is he not willing u spend
money for the sight # Il faninCn. a
ros.aJH spoon bill. or d wood Ibis. and
does h. not "Xciaim with delight at
a flashing glmpS" II paraquet or
Il nonpareil" He is 80 willing Ia pay
lih.rd!ly tol such sights these and
We hay" given him just Caus" !"
complain of tn" abs-nc" Of bird If"
! along our coasts ana inland water
| ways \ f.w years ago th-Se swarm
! I'd with birds Who's. movements We're
| Of III" greatest interest - our winter
| visitors. Now they are silent ana de-
| serted. ttS ltpl.tt -. a tlll''l attraction
| by plume and bird and skin hunters
who have robbed us of our chief"st
attractions. In Florida journals W.
read that in 1>3@ Audubon was at -.
Augustine. and * most enthusiast site
| about th- birds. H SOS orleans
corrn0-a0ts. -gr-ts. hcrons. guMs and
i"ms all t"ar!"ssly happy in ~" tres
swamps or in the water Flocks 81
birds. thousands everywhere. H.
writes There wer" four hundred
n-~ts 81 cormu-ants over our heads
Ros- colorei curleWs stalked grace
fully beneath nangroves. purple her
ons ros.. at every step W. took. and
zach cactus supported the INST "f a
whit Ibis. while great foCks uf birds
overhead as th-y passed seemed Ike
clouds. Thu air was darken"d by tn
wnitsljng wings Will" on thu water
f'oated beautiful pUrpl- saliimu."s
great f1ocks II discs I'D apart from
equally .arge collections 81 godr-t>
and thousands q h-rrcS paced g-.tr--
tuNy along Compare This dcs rip,!1r
~ tiCty years o. "v-n twenty vars
When the h-n u the h-rous -. - and
t,aminGos wing mixed liam and
J snow along I'll" - Johns r.vv-. - ~
, .,re~.u, day ,-t u Journey ron $50
springs "a Jacksonville, n tn Whit
Wings and enum"rat~ =" :f"r-n'