El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-05-21
The Useless Bird Slaughter
Insects are Taking the Country Be
cause the Birds That Destroy
Them Have Been Killed.
by Ella Wheeler Wilcox. -
BY Ella Wheeler


"HAT is great and good work
which is being done by the widow
- of one Of Americas multi-miI-
IiOnaires, Mrs. Russell sage.
BY a special contribution to the An
dubOn society in one year, she gave
systematic instruction to 10,500 chill
dren in bird lore
Ninety percent OF the normal bird
life OF this country has already been
destroyed, and the other 10 percent VIII
90 In the next five years unless drastic
measures are employed TO stop the
growers Of this country are losing over
SLOOO,OOO,000 a year BY reason Of the
ravages Of insects.
Quail, Natural Enemy OF Bug.
Because the quail, the natural enemy
Of that bug. has been almost extermi-
mated, the farmers OF the middle and
eastern states are paying out $4,000
GOO a year for paris green to put
on their potato vines The quail. the
natural enemy Of that bug, has been
Each Of the great apple producing
states are paying S1.000.00O to $4,000
Z 600 year to Keep down the cOdding
moth Why Because the WOOdpeck-
[ ers. the sapsuckers. the robins. the
/ blUejays, the bluebirds. the orioles. the
] tanagers and other birds that formerly
z preyed on that insect have been killed
. off. And every man, woman and child
, who eats an apple or potato helps TO
paw for this poison
eat rose beetles, May beetles. cucum-
I Der beetles and house flies, practically
all OF which are caught on the wing
Otto Wldman says 81 parent martins
made 927T visits to their young with
insects in one day c. c. Musselman
! saw martins feed their young 312 times
in Is hours. AR MOSher made a record
I Of a pair OF yellow throat Warblers
/ eating plant lice in a birch tree at a
rate Of S. a minute for 90 minutes. At
! this rate, this one pair Of birds would
] n ag rr
week
/ Harvey found 500 mosquitoes in the
/ stomach Of nighthawS and SO grass
s hOppers in that Of another bird Of the
{ same species A scarlet tanager ate
( So gypsy moth caterpillars q minute for
rs minutes a warbler ate 90 plant lice
/ in a minute. and pair fed at this rate
7 for 40 minutes A red winged blackbird
I had % cutwOrms in its stomach
I Birds known TO Eat Hairy Caterpillar
/ E1tty-One species OF birds are known
I to eat hairy caterplllars, and SO spec
4 les feed on plant lice And yet the
/ slaughter Of the birds goes on
In a single season 10000 terms were
I killed at Cape Cod. Massachusetts in
3 order that their skins might adOrn the
{ headgear Of fashionable women. The
I sWampts IN Florida have been totally
depOpulated Of their egrets and herons-
Z In one month over 1000, coo bObOlinks
I were killed on the marshes near Phila-
Z deIphia by sOcalled SpOrtsmen- who
[ call these feathered ssOngsters reed
I birds And besides being one Of our
Z sweetest singers. the DObOInk is one
/ Of the most Industrious bug eaters we
Z have. In the southern states both the
! robin and the bObOlink are classed az
I game birds. and slaughtered by thou
l sands all through the winter.
All Damaging Insects.
Fitch once computed the number OF
I plant lice on a single cherry tree to be
{ 10000 600. Chinch bugs have been
found in a small clump Of bunch grass
1 eight inches in diameter to the number
I of 10000 J. F. Parker, OF Manhattan,
Z Kansas. says he counted 5000 under
I similar conditions. but had to desist
1 on account of more pressing dulles
Z Riley once computed that the hop aphis,
I developing Is generations in a single
year, would. If unchecked to the end Of
/ the 18th generation. have multiplied
/ to the number OF ten seXtilliOns-
I Surely IL IS great work for a good
/ woman to do. this educating the grow
. Ing generation in a knowledge Of the
value OF birds to the prosperity Of the
/ country Copyright, 1913, BY star
{ Company