Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1911-09-15


AS weed destroyer the quail has
few, If any, superiors. Moreover, its
habits are such that it is almost con
stantly on the ground where it is
brought IN close contact with both
weed seeds and ground living insects.
II is good ranger, and, fundislurbed,
will patrol every day all the fields in
its vicinity as it searches for food.
Take it all in all, there is no more valu-
able bird to be allowed alive and free
upon the farm.
2ud The Woodpeckers--An exami-
nation OF msny stomachs of Wood
peckers shows that from two-thIrds to
three fourths of the food consists of in
sects, chiefly noxious. Wood boring
beetles, both adults and larvae, are
conspicuous, and with them are as
ISOLATED many caterpillars, mostly
species that burrow into trees.
About one-fourth Of their yearly food
consists of ants. A celebrated French
writer upon popular natural history
| has spoken of the ant as sithe little
black miIkmaid, who pastures her
green cows in the meadow of rose
leaf" This is a graphic, # somewhat
| fancful, picture of the relations of ants
and plant lice (Aphidae) but unfortu-
nately the black milkmaid does not
ktnr AatI tn hn Inaf
meadows. There are comparatively
few plants which do not suffer to some
extent by the ravages Of plant lice, and
fruit trees and ornamental shrubs seem
to be more especially subject to their
attacks. Ants protect these plant lice
from harm, and, when the plant on
which they are feeding is exhausted,
carry them to fresh pastures, and in
some cases actually build shelters over
them. Besides destroyed the ants, the
woodpecker eats many of the plant
lice.
Again, when the woodpecker has, by
Its keen sense of hearing, located the
iarva of wood boring beetle In tree,
ard dislodged 1t with the aid of his
sharp edged tongue, there is much like
llhood that the next time it visits the
tree it will find colony of ants snugly
established in the burrow of the de-
funct grub, whose somewhat limited
quarters they are extending in every
direction. 1t now brings to bear upon !
the ants the same apparatus it used in |
the case of the grub, and they are soon |
drawn out and devoured. From these
two sources are obtained the ants that |
are found in the food of this bird, and |
that constitutes % per cent of that
food. In both cases the insects are
harmful, and the woodpecker stops the
injury and benefits the tree. The " ood-
pecker seems the only natural agent
which can sue ,essfully cope with GER
tain insect enemies of fruit trees. For
this reason if for no other they should
be protected in every possible way.
Sd Chickadees- winter food of
the familiar black-capped chikauee
consists of noxious insects, and more
especially of insect eggs. The eggs of
plant lice were found in large pro
portion of the stemachs examined, and
constituted an important percentage of
the food. The chickadees spend most
of their daylight hours in searching
= 4 l,.. .Nft
ing every crevice in the bark aud
examining every bud for the Insects
eggs and hibeIating insects, which
constitute so large part of their food.
These birds may be attracted to the or
chard in winter by hanging up pieces
of suet, or bones with little meat still
attached to them. In this way they
are induced to leave the woods and
live in the orchard during the winter,
and finally build their nests and rear
their young there.
4th The Kingbird-The king bird
with whom is associated in eating
habits The phoebe and several other fiy
| catchers Is an established lover of the
orchard. Its antipathy for hawks and
crows is well known. On one occasion
hawk which attacked brood of
young turkeys was bounced upon and
so severity bufleted by pair of king
oirds, whose nest was nearby, that the
would be robber was glad to e,caue
with .ut his prey. Song birds that
nest near the king birds are similarly
protected
About 80 percent of their food con-
sists OF insects such as May beetles,
wire worms, ants and other bugs. Ex-
animation of k1ngbrds nesting near
Tee hives proves that it does not eat
bees as has been sometimes claimed.
9th The Meadowlark-- The.meadow-
| lark with whom il