The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-04-06
UNCLE SAM PLANS TO PROTECT BIRD CITIZENS
Story of the Egret, Which Was Almost
Annihilated to Satisfy Milady's Van
ity-Sparrows Are Useful

NAL food in the early weeks Of existence.
SO that during the summer months-the
flood time Of insect life-birds are conn.,
PEELED to redouble their attacks on our
insect foes to satisfy the wants Of their
clamorous young.
Hungry birds-and birds are hungry
most Of the time-are not content to
fill their stomachs with insects Ut seeds.
but after the stomach is stuffed until
1t will hold no more. will continue to
eat till the CROP or gullet. also IL
crammed 1t IL often the case that
when the stomach IL opened and the
contents piled UP, the pile ts two or
three times as large as the stomach when
filed. Birds may truly be said to have
healthy appetites. To show the aston
ishing capacity of birds stomachs and
to reveal the extent to which man Is
Indebted to birds for the destruction OF
noxious insects, the following facts were
ascertained by the Biological Survey:
A tree swallows stomach was found
to contain forty entire chinch bugs and
fragments of many others, besides ten
other species of insects A bank swal-
low of Texas devoured sixty-eight cot
ton-boll weevils, one of the worst insect
pests that ever invaded the United
States; and twenty-five cliff swallows had
taken an average o. eighteen boil weeviis
Haywards Cal, contained 1900 black
olive scales and 300 plant lice A kill
deer's stomach taken in November in
Texas contained over 800 mosquito larve.
A fiicker's stomach held twenty-eight
white grubs. A nighthawks stomach
collected in Kentucky contained thirty
four May beetles, the adult form of white
grub. Another nighthaWk from New
York had eaten twenty-four clover-leaf
al Ar mis- hit
hawk had eaten $40 grasshoppers, fifty
two bugs, three beetles, two wasps, and
a spider. A boat-tailed grackle from
Texas had eaten at one meal about 100
cotton boil worms. besides a few other
insects ringnecked pheasant's crop
from Washington contained 5000 seeds or
chick-week and a dandelion head. More
than 1000 seeds have been found In
single duck stomach taken in louisiana
in February.
Water should BE Plentiful.
Few people are aware of the difficulty
often experienced by birds in obtaining
water for drinking and bathing. and
a constant supply OF water near house
will materially aid in attracting birds to
the neighborhood and in keeping them
there, at least till the time OF migration.
bly, serve the purpose. especially as birds
delight to battle In them.
One OF the worst foes of our native
birds is the house cat. and probably none
of our native wild animals destroys as
many birds. particularly fledglings, las
cats. The household pet is, by no means.
blameless in this respect, for the bird
hunting instinct is strong even in the
well-fed tabby; but much OF the loss of
our feathered life is attributed to the
half-starved stray cat, which. in sum-
mer, is as much at home in the groves
and fields as the birds themselves.
Forced to forage for their own liveli
hood, these animals, which are almost
as wild as the ancestral wildcat. infiict
an APPALLING loss on our feathered allies.
and even on the smaller game birds
like woodcock and bobwhits. If cats
are to find a place in the household.
every effort should be made by carefully
feeding and watching them to insure the
safety of the birds. The cat without
home should be mercifully put out of
the way.
Copyright. 1913, By William L. Altdofa.)