The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1911-12-27
BIRD CONSERVATION URGED
FEATHERED FRIENDS NEEDED
TO FIGHT INSECT FOES.
state Organizations Have Been Call
Ell Upon to Cooperate With Fed
eral Authorities to Save Birds.

eo upon to Cooperate With Fed
eraI Authorities to Save Birds.
WASHINGTON, D. C-Bird FAN
clers and those interested in biolog-
zeal studies in this country bemoan
mat year by year our native birds
appear to be greatly diminishing in
number. In fact this situation has
Decone SO apparent recently that
Hlany state organizations have been
Cdlled upon to cooperate with the
IeoeraI authorities in the effort to
STOCK the woods and fields with the
many kinds of birds which formerly
made them their habitat.
Henry w. Henshaw, chief biolo-
SIst OF the department of agricuE-
ure' speaking of this condition, said
today: '''' =
1t is doubtful if, taking the conn
Try as whole, any of our native
species are increasing except. per
maps, in restricted localities. This ia
the more deplorable inasmuch as
now, more than ever, there is press-
ing need of the services of insectiv-
erous birds to hold in check the con
StanUly increasing numbers of insects
imported from abroad or that croSe
our borders from adjacent territory.
AS tnese destructive foreign insects
rarely are accompanied by the enc
mics which check their increase IN
tnelr native habitat, they soon null
Clply until they become veritable
pests. Nature has provided in this
country sufficient number of spe-
cles for the work OF keeping insects
IN check, including the various swal
lows, lily catchers, thrushes, wood
peckers, sparrows and others, and it
remains for us by vigorous and con-
certed effort not only to protect the
useful species, but to enable them
so ito increase that their warfare
against the insect hosts shall be
thoroughly effective. This can be
effected in four ways: By providing
aftlnc1al nesting sites for the species
tnat nest in hollow trees or in the
corn1cea and cavities of buildings; by
planting thickets of berry-bearing
trees and shrubs along the roads or
IN the waste places on the farm; by
carefully protecting the birds already
occupying the premises; by supply
ing water for birds. Though at first
Thought it may seem a small matter
supply of water for drinking and
bathing purposes is of great import
ance to birds because they must
battle and drink just like human be-
ings.
From an economic standpoint
our native woodpeckers may be d.
Vided into two classes. The first
comprises the bulk of the family and
includes upward of fifty species. AN
of these render exceedingly valuable
service to the farmer, the horticult-
urist and the forester. Specially
equipped by nature for digging into
wood they supplement the service of
other species and destroy vast num-
bers of insects inaccessible to other
birds.
The second class comprises four
species whose range collectively ex-
tends across the United States from
ocean to ocean. Those are properly
known as sap suckers, for the reason
that they 'xcavate holes in the bark
of trees for the purpose Of obtaining
thC11 IdFOl1CG lOOu, Wulcu rs Il16 III
ner bark and the sap that exudes
from the wounds.
The marked decrease in the num-
Der of our waterfowl in the last de-
cade has attracted attention in every
part of the country and caused much
concern not only to sportSmen, but
to state authorities interested in the
conservation of our national reSour-
ces 1t is evident that increasingly
stringent laws shortening the open
season, prohibiting spring shooting,
and decreasing the bag limit, will aid
materially in the preservation of the
fast diminishing waterfowl.
Following a long dry season,
which favored the rearing of large
number of wild ducks, but material
ly reduced the area of feeding ponds,
a severe epidemic broke out among
the wild ducks about Great Salt
Lake, Utah. Dead ducks could be
counted by thousands along the
shores and the disease ragged una
bated until fall.
THE problem of the preservation
and restoration of the big game of
the country is receiving careful con-
sideration, and several measures will
be undertaken during the coming
year along that line"