Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-02-29
CHERISH OUR soNaBrRps.
The ReiatiOn Of Birds to tho Brov,
Tail Moth aAA the Gypsy Ms,h,

"A
moth and the gypsy moth have made
thelr appearance In the southern part of
Vermont, discussion Of the above tonic
IL timely.
Tho gypsy moth, porthia dispar. a wei,
kho"n pest In European countries, was
introduced into Medford, Mass, by Ieo.
poid Trovelot In 1869. The moth increased
IN SUCH numbers that It soon became A
pest In 1880 the Legislature Of Massachu.
sets appropriated 10000 for tho oncckinx
OF us ravaSes. The State board OF agri-
culture was given charge OF the work in
'o'i' and over one million dollars was ex-
pended In the next ten years In the at
tempt to extcrminate the pest At the
end or this time, the Legislature deemed
IL unwise to continue further appropria-
tlons. Meanwhile towns and individuals
wore lighting the pest at a greater annual
cost than that formerly assumed by the
STATE. In 1905 tho Legislature was Obliged
10 renew the fight and appropriated three
hundred thousand dollars for work
against this pest and another imported
pest. the brown tail moth euproctis chry-
sorrhea. One man in Medford, Mass. has
spent over seventy-hve thousand dollars
to protect the trees on his estate.
1t is n well established fact that birds
are VI ,nestmable value as insect destroy
ers. AZ a spread Of the brown tail moth
and the gypsy moth is imminent in our
State. let us consider what birds destroy
these pests in the different stages OF tn.
insects development. The life history Of
an insect comprises four distinct stages.
% the egg. t2) the larva or the cater
pillar in moths and butterflies, go the
pupa or cocoon. % the image or the per.
feet winged insect Different species Of
the bird family destroy insects in all OF
the stages, but more especially In the egs
and larva form. Many birds eat the cat
erpillars Of the brown tail and gypsy
moth. but only a few have yet learned to
eat the eggs. The caterpillar OF the brown
tail moth is provided not only with long
hairs but with a coating Of short, loosely
attached hairs on the posterior part of
the body, which are easily detached,
barhed like the quilts OF n porcuplne, and
90 tenacious that they will quickly work
into the human skin. causing irritation
and an itching eruption which lasts sew
oral days. II was supposed that these
caterpillars would be dLstasteful to the
birds. but It did not prove so, as many
birds eat them with avidty. The egg
clusters of these two insects are covered
with fine yellow hair which ca'Ses them
to resemble A fungus growth often found
| on trees Most birds fail to recognize
anything edible in these clusters. When
the birds In general learn TO eat the eggs
as they eventually will, an eKectual nat
ura check upon these two pests will be
established. Meanwhile birds are render
Ing service of great value by destroying
the caterpillars OF these moths The
larvae OF the brown tail moth hibernate
in their nests in the curled-up leaves that
remain on the trees all winter. Some
winter birds are already learning to open
| these nests. taking the contents there
from. 1t will be remembered that it is
the caterpillar that strips the trees Of
leaves and destroys vegetation.
f. II. Forbush. State ornithologist of
Massa chusetts, gives an extended and de-
tailed report of the food habits
of birds In relation to the brown
tail and gypsy moth. During the
prosecution of the work against these
pests by the Massachusetts State board
OF agriculture more than thousand
men were employed. among whom thirty
eight knew the common birds and the
reports of their observations The follow
| Ing extracts show the activity Of birds
in DESTROYING caterpillars Tho yellow
| billed cuckoo ate Al gypsy caterpillars in
| Is minutes; crows ate caterpilars as fast
| as hens picks up corn. blue jay ate Il
gypsy caterpilars in Is minutes; yellow
| warbler took Il gypsy caterpillars in five
minutes; chestnut-sided warbler ate 2s in
| y minutes rose breasted Rrosbeak ate
| 81 gypsy caterpillars in 70 minutes;
| scarlet tanaRer took a in II minutes; crow
blackbird ate 70 in three minutes.
| The following extracts refer to the
! caterpilars of the brown tai moth.
| Rodstrats ate II catefpillars in five
minutes; black and white warbler de-
| stroyed y catorpilars in 10 minutes
| ch!ckadee ate 81 in seven minutes; blue
| jay ate ~ caterpillars in i've minutes.
| red-eyed vireo ate 43 in 10 minutes: black
| billed cuckoo ate the caterpillars greedily
| by the mouthfuls: robins did the same.
| Taking into consideration the full day
| and the entire season. It is very evident
that the birds aided materially In check
Ing the ravageS Of these two pests
| throughout tho State of Massachusetts,.
II has been found. however. that a few
birds aid In the spread Of the moths by
| dropping live caterpillars in uninfected
| sections. II Is probable that the bird
| which is most useful In destroying cater
| pillars ana which feeds the largest num-
her to its young will be the most !ikoly
TO aid in tho distribution OF the moth.
| When the caterpillars are present in large
numbers, they Will he carried farther
| and scattered more widely by man and
| by domestic animals than by birds. All
possible distribution by birds IL OF little
| Importance compared with the good
they will do in checking the increase Of
| the moths.
Herewith IL a list OF 4> species of birds
| known to he the enemies of the brown
| tail moth and the gypsy moth, having
been observed eating or destroying these
| insects in some stage of their existence.
Twenty nine species Of birds In this list
destroy both the gypsy and the brown
tail moth, seventeen the gypsy only. and
cuckoo. black-biled cuckoo. hairy wood
pecker, downy woodpecker. yelow-b billed
sap-sucker flicker kingbird great
crested fycatcher. phoebe, wood pewee,
least fycntcher. blue Jay. crow, red
winged blackbird. Baltimore oriole, crow
black-bird. English sparrow, chipping
sparrow. field sparrow. song sparrow,
chewink. rose-breasted grosbeak, indigo
bunting. scarlet tanager. red-eyed vlreo,
yellow throated vireo, white-eye vireo,
warbling vireo, black and white warbler
Il Mt n