Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1913-09-11

birds presents case in which man has
not only taken principally for pleasure,
but in doing so wantonly destroyed faith
ful little servants placed there to add COL
or and life to the fields and forests, to
fill the land with their glad songs, aud
work for his interests all the long day.
Mr.. William T. Hornaday, in his ex-
cellent work, Our Vanishing Wild Life,
sagely observes:
The same kind of common sense that
teaches men TO 60 in when il rains ard
keep out of fiery furnaces teaches us that
as business proposition il is TO mans
interest TO protect birds. Make them
plentiful and keep them so. When we
strike the birds we hurt ourselves. The
protection of our insect-eating and seed
eating birds is cash proposition-pro-
tect or pay.
Were a farmer no gun should ever be
fired on my premises at any birds save
the English sparrow and the three bad
hawks. Any man who would kill my
friend Bob White would treat as an en-
emy. The man who would shoot and
eat any of the song birds, woodpeckerS,
or shore birds that worked for me !
would surely moleSt.
Illustrating the value OF birdSl quote
from that splendid paper by Prof. r. J.
H. de Loach on The Economic Value of
Birds to the Farmers. He says:
The white-throat sparrow, one OF our
common winter residents, is preeminent-
ly a weed-seed destroyer and is noted
for its love of ragweed, smartweed, knot
weed, bindweed, and other members OF
the polYgonum genus. If we estimate
that there are about five OF these birds to
a square mile in Georgia for seven
months in the year, from October until
April, inclusive, there would be about
297, $50 birds in the State, and if each
bird ate an eighth OF an ounce of weed
seeds in day this species alone would
eat 1856 ounces day, or 2,322 pounds,
or over ton day. Extend this over
period Of 2l0 days and If makes 243 tons
OF these noxious weed seeds destroyed
by the white throats alone each year.
But this does not represent his worth 10
the farmer yet, for he eats insects also
along with his other diet, and there are
probably more individuals OF this species
in Georgia than have represented.
The chckadee returns TO her brood
about 200 times day with not less than
Is plant lice each time for the young. II
has been found that a cuckoo consumes
daily from so to 400 caterpiIlars or their
equivalent, while chickadee will eat
from 200 to 500 insects, or up to 1000
insects or worm eggs. One hundred in
sects day is a conservative estimate OF
the quantity consumed by each individ-
ual inSectivonS bird. BY carefully es-
timating the birds in several areas il has
been found that in Massachusetts, there
are not less than the enormous total Of
Z, $50, 100000 insects. Or better TO ex-
press such figures in common measure
ments, l20, 900 average insects fill bush
ell measure. This means that the dai-
Iy consumption OF chiefly obnoxious in
sects in Massachusetts is about 2l 600
bushels. This estimate is good for about
five months in the year, May to Septem-
Der, inclusive; during the remainder OF
the year, insects, eggs and larvae de-
stroyed by the winter, late fall, and early
spring migrants will be equivalent TO
nearly half this quantity.
Prof. de Loach recites that
Over million dollars were expended
in Massachusetts in less than 10 years to
destroy the gypsy moth, and one General
Samuel c. Lawrence spent more than
SIS 900 on his place TO get rid ofthe pest.
II has been found recently that the natur-
al enemies of this very predacious insect
are the birds, those which follow having
been seen feeding upon the larvae and
VIZ, black billed cuckoo,
rose breasted grosbeak, cutbird, red
eyed yireo, yellow-t -throated vireo, and
possibly the chickadee, black and white
creeper, crow, blue jay, phoebe, pewee,
towhee, scarlet tananger, chest
1ut-sided warbler. yellow warbler,
iowny woodpecker, redstat. Baltimore |
orioIe, and yellow-biIled cuckoo.
The chickadee holds in check the tent |
caterpillar by eating the eggs.
The white breasted nuthatch feeds
argely on scale insects and their eggs.
Robins and cstbirds eat the famous ce-
,ropia moth, one OF the worst enemies of
yroves and orchards.
The wood pewee feeds on moths,
beetles, flies, gnats, mosquitoes, and
other small flying insects.
When we know the birds better and
earn to distinguish one species from
another we grow to have our preferences
ust as we now have stronger liking for |
one person than another, because OF
some prominent trait Of character which |
appeals to us. And the better acquaint-
ID we get with the birds the more hu-
nan-lke we find them.
There is the robin with his red breast,
stately and erect. Every time see him |
here is suggested that poem Of childhood,
'Who killed cock robin ?" Nor will
ever forget the noble part he is assigned |
n that tragic tale Of juvenile books, The |
Babes in the Wood. You will remember |
hat after the cruel uncle, intruSted with |
heir care, had abandoned the helpless
children in the deep wood in order to de-
;troy them and secure their lands, and |
jeath had sealed their eyes in peaceful !
sleep, it was the robins who tenderIy