Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1910-06-17

|
81 spend almost the whole of my
time catching worms and bugs. g"
chirped the robin. 1T is true, that is
the way l make my living, but those
worms woulI destroy many dollars
worth of crops. Last summer almost
my whole family was killed by Shane
because we took a few cherries, and
l promise you that there shall not
a robin remain on the farm nor catch
a worm on it this summer"
So said all the birds; and it was
then and there arranged that there
should be a general emigration of
birds from the Shane farm.
Am ! in this?" asked the crow.
who had returned from driving the
| hawk away, which he had chased
clear over to the adjoining farm.
Well, that's questionable, said
Dobbin. But owing to the fact that
the crow had chased away the hawk,
Dobbin was disposed to look more
kindly on him than he otherwise
would.
"Ah! you black rouge" said the
hen, you stole an egg out of my
nest yesterday l saw you fly away
with it,"
Il admit it," said the crow; "but
| | 10
about to steal it. and l thought l
might take the egg as a reward for
driving the rat away. Besides, I
drive away hawks which would steal
chickens, and / kill great many grub
worms, and cut-worms, and ground
mice" continued the crow, land if
I'm part of this strike I'll not kill
any more such pests, and more than
that. I'll move off the farm and let
the hawks kill all Shane's chickens. 3"
"Ohl come now" said the hen,
Tets compromise; you stay here and
keep the hawks away, and I'll give
you, an egg now and then"
"All right" said the crow; "T1
agree to anything to get into good
society
Il have few words to say" said
the blackbird; 'I'm black like the
crow but I don't steal eggs"
yes, but | saw you pulling up
corn down in the field yesterday,
which is just as bad" said Dobbin.
quite mistaken, l assure you"
said the blackbird, Sometimes | pull
up a sprout of corn. but it is to get
at the grubWorm which is at the
root. If I did not pull it up the grub
would destroy it anyway, so in the
end no harm is done by me, but much
good, for | destroy a worm that
would have destroyed many stocks of
corn before the season is over. We
cannot destroy all the grubworms
and cutworms that are in the corn
fields, for they are under ground and
we cannot get at them We follow the
pillow in the spring and get all the
worms that it turns up. We follow
in the summer and get all the worms
that the cultivator brings to the sur
face Thousands of crickets and
grasshoppers are destroyed by us
which would injure the wheat and
grass crops Hundreds of my species
have been killed by Shane and | will
promise you that not a worm nor an
insect shall be killed by a blackbird
on the farm this summer. More than
that, all the blackbirds in this sec
ton will join me, and each one will
carry a few grubwOrms and cut
worms and drop them on Shane's
fields"
Dobbin thought that carrying
worms on the farm for the purpose
of destroying the crops was contrary
to the arrangement that no violence
should be done to the person or pro
perty of Shane; but the birds all in
sisted that it Vas no more than right
that they should have this privilege.
They thought that was the best way
to prove to Shane the great amount
of damage done by these pests.
Everything being now arranged, the
convention adjourned to meet again
the following Sunday at the same
place, and report what had been
| done.
Wonder what all the beasts are
gathered around that tree for?" said
Shane, as he and Tom sauDtered
across the field, laying their plans
for the next days work. Must be
somethin wrong"
They're just standin' in the shade
of that tree. guess" answered Tom;
'but it does seem kind Of strange,
/ for there's Towser among them, an