Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-04-06

| He says that the chlcadee, nuthatch.
utmousc and Creeper, form a group Of
cheerful little birds that creep about
the bark OF trees or cling to the slcn-
der branches searching In tiny holes
and crcvices FOR small Insects and in
sect eggs. Associated with the smaller
| wopdpockers. they do valiant service In
| the orchard and their presence should
! bee encouraged In every way. In the
cast numbers Of them have been at
| tracted TO the shade and fruit trees
about the house by occasionally tying
| 90 the limbs bits Of suet. scraps Of meat
| or marrow bones. And though i'm the
| west most Of these birds now keep 10
| the mountains. they will come into the
orchards II kindly treated
SAVE THE QUAILs.
The good work Of the game wardens
| iu feeding the quail in this state dur
Ing our recent protacted spell Of se-
we're winter cold. shows that they at
least, appreciate the value Of these fine
birds In fact. the farmer should re-
gard the quail as one OF his most valu-
able assets. This bird Is the cleaner
who never reaps. who guards the grow
ing crops, who glories over a bOunteous
Yield. yet is content TO watch and walt
FOR those lost grains which fall to him
by right II is a good stubble feeder
gathering in weed seed. waste grains
and Insects. II eats few wild berries
rose hips and the like Included In the
quail's diet of animal food are large
numhers OF 900 tasting Insects that are
usually rejected by an other birds.
BIRDS THAT FEED ~ AIR.
Birds that feed I'm the air are OF
great value IN another sphere In the
swallow, the martin, the hycatcher. the
night hawk and few others we have
group of birds against which no COM
plant can be justly made. They do
not sing for as. but we love TO watch
the graceful skimming movements Of
the swallows particularly and listen To
their euucing chatter These birds feed
almo,t exclusively on winged insects
which they capture IN the air The
night -hav4S while engaged ia this busi-
ness amuses himself by an occasional
downward sweep from n considerable
height producing a booming sound by
catching the air under his wings as
he turns The king bird. in addition
TO the service he renders ms by eating
insects, valiantly attacks and drives
away the hawk or crow that comes
near the poultry yard.
BLACKBIRDs ALSO VALUABLE.
Even the blacllbirds do far more good
than harm. We have three or four COM
mon species Of these sable feathered
birds The yellow head is less often
seen than his red winged relative The
PLAIN black ones are far more numer-
Gus Some Of these birds follow the
pillow I'm tho spring barely hopping
out Of the way OF the farmers team In
their eageruess 10 pick up the grubs
and other insect larvae and pupae In
the warm. mellow upturned earth All
summer long they may be seen feeding
IN fields or gardens, particularly where
the soil Is being stirred by cultivators
They also frequent meadows and pas
lures. probing around In the sod for
worms and insect larvae To their dis
credit II must be said. however. that
they also pun up some sprouting corn.
Later In the fall when they are prepar-
ing 10 migrate. they flock together I'm !
immense numbers and sometimes do !
serious damage by swooping down I'm |
clouds on grain I'm the field or shock |
We conclude. however, that they more |
than offset this damage with their good |
works in spring and summer
WELCOME THE NATIVES.
There are now flying. on the outskirts
of this city. among trees and bushes, |
many hocks Of those valuable weed
destroyers. the goldfinches. their brown |
winter colorinE just beginning 10 /
change 10 the gold and black Of spring /
and summer Neadowlarks, the farm
er's best helpers In the destruction Of
insect pests. are making the welkin ring |
with their matchless melody. Robins.
which are largely insect eaters. are
echolng their "cheer-up" AZ every
dawn House hnches are singing their
pretty melodies from the high trees
and tons ~ houses Presently the war
blers viii be coming to save us from
being literally overrun with insects.
So. too. the wrens. the grosbeaks, the
towhees. and others VIII soon be here
10 aid us. True, they may keep aloor
from towns overrun with sparrows, but
many kinds will come nearer n the
sparrows are somewhat reduced I'm |
number and this can he done.
LESSEN THE sPARROws.
A former student nj West Jordan in
forms me that he found no difficulty
this winter In clearing the sparrows
from several localities there. destroying
them quickly and humanely by using
the poisoned grain mentioned in one OF
the former articles referred TO by Mr..
Ivcrson / do not repeat here the for
mula for poisoning tho grain; but tho
success Of tho process IS demonstrated
by these trials. and shows that our
town councils can diminish the num-
Der Of these pests almost at pleasure |
whenever they choose 70 take up the
work SO, too, the people OF the COM
can put "a stop to tho persecu-
ion Of the native birds by boys with
guns and dippels The schools can
convert the pupils. and the school sup
)orters can bring these matters 10 the |
attention OF councilmen and officers Of |
he lar. Let us watch and instruct
he boys, arrest and imprison the men !
hat use the guns; then the native
Gathered thronRs may again become !
,ur pleasant ncighbors and valuable
lllics
Very truly yours.
j. n. PAUL.