The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1913-05-01
CLEAN OUT DANGEROUS BUGS
Warden at Work in Kenosha Tells the
People of City Why Kenosha Should
Make an Effort to Care for Birds
Points out danger of determination.
by A. G. CIeasby)
assistant Gyate Fish and Game
Warden.)

Warden.)
Kenosha, beautiful for situation, en-
powered among her trees, with well
kept lawns, is an ideal spot for the
protection of bird life. Bird study is
no trihing fad Our bird life repre-
sents a valuable public property, pro-
tected by laws that are beginning to
be respected and enforced 1t is high
time that this is so. Birds act as the
greatest and only effective check upon
the countless myriads Of insects.
To a community that is an educa-
tional center, I am naturally reluctant
to give large place to what is common
ly regarded as the knock-down argu-
ment for bird protection, their econo-
mic value; insects and rodents cause
a billion dollar loss annually to Ameri-
ca, and birds are the natural check
upon these pests, facts, which if adj
mitted, have only to do with a more
generous filing of flesh pots, which by
no means should be the final appeal.
If any person is curious to know
what insects are capable of in the way
of fecundity, come and look over my
shoulder and take peek. The hop
aphis, developing thirteen generations
in q siagle-year, would IL unehealss1
to the end of the twelfth generation,
have multiplied to the inconceivable
number Of ten seNtillions Of individ-
uals of which Dir. Forbush says, if this
brood were marshalled in line, ten to
the inch, it would extend beyond the
farthest fixed star that has been
brought into view to point so remote
that light from the head of the process
sion, travelling at the rate of 100000
miles per second, would require $500
years in which to reach the earth.
Kirkland tells us that single pair Of
gypsy moths if unchecked, would pro
duce progeny enough in eight years to
destroy all the foliage in the United
States. The voracity of insect life is
as astonishing as it's power of repro
duction. Many caterpillars consume
twice their weight Of leaves per day,
which corresponds to an ordinary horse
eating ton of hay daily. A certain
flesh eating larva consumes 200 times
its weight in twentyfour hours. A
parallel case to this would be that of
human infant consuming 400 pounds
of food in one day. Some increase in
size 10000 times in thirty daysa ten
pound baby at maturity weighing
$4,000 pounds. The question naturally
arises; Who is to take care of these
many billions of insects? Who is to
check the annual loss of over
$700,000,o00 in the United States due
to insects. Shall it be the forester,
the agriculturists or the birds?
There can be but one answer and
that was expressed by that grand old
man, Prof. Bowman, head of the train
ing school at Menomonie, Wis.
The killing of a single bird is
national, continental loss Have
we reason to be proud of a civilization
that in the past twenty-five years has
practically lifted no hand to prevent
the ruthless slaughter of countless mil
lions Of our birds2 Have we reason to
be proud Of a civilization that has ex-
terminated six Of our valuable species
of bird life and has placed twenty
others on the road to determination.
A slaughter to be told in groans,
not words,
The very St. Bartholomew Of birds .
The Incas, called savages by the his
torians, were certainly in earnest on
the subject of bird protection, for they
meted out death to any one proved
guilty of killing birds in the breeding
season. But in Wisconsin,, OF which we
are 50 justly proud as n progressive
state, the question Of spring shooting
must be fought ont at every session
Of the legislature. Inca savagery has
reproof for twentieth century civili-
cation calculated to make fair minded
man want to hide hiS head Schools
, ana colleges, woman $ clubs aud
churches ought to unite in a common
effort to stamp out that lust to kill