Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-05-30
THE birds ARE
MANS friend
Department at Washington Makes
Scientific Study of Work Of
Killing Insects.

Washington, D. c., May 29.-NeW
light is shed on the activities OF
birds as c0nservers of the public
health in q communication to the Ma
tional Geographic Society, at Wash
ington, D. c., from Henry W. Hen
shaw, Chief of the Biological Survey.
The Survey for a considerable period
has been studying the foods Of birds.
by examining the stomachs of speci-
ment killed for scientific purposes.
Value to Farmers. !
THE value of birds to the farmer
is plain enough, but we do not usual
ly think of birds as having any direct
relation to the public health" writes
Mr.. Henshaw. ITO prove that they do,
however, 1t is only necessary to state
that 500 mosquitoes have been found
In the stomach of a single night-hawk,'
that in a killdeer's stomach hundreds
Of the larvae of the salt.marsh mos
quito have been found, and that many,
shore birds greedily devour mosquito
larvae. As mosquitoes are known to
carry the germs of such serious dis
eases as typhoid, malaria, and dengue
fever it is evident that by destroying
such germs the birds are comforting a
distinct benefit on man. 1t may be
added that not i~nfrequently ticks are
eaten by birds, and that the tick
which is responsible for the spread Of
Texas fever among cattle has been,
frequently found in the stomach Of a
bobwhite. .... K
Police Of the Air.
In considering the many kinds Of
birds in the United States from the
practical side, they may not inaptly
be called a police force Of the air, the
chief duty Of which is to restrain
within bounds the hordes Of insects
that II unchecked would devour every
green thing. To accomplish this task
successfully, the members of the
force must be variously equipped. As
the bulk of insects spend more or
less time on the ground, we find
more birds are fitted for terrestrial
service than for any other. Our larg-
est bird family, the sparrows, ia
chiefly terrestrial. It is ably aided in
It's search for insects by the thrushes
wFens, certain of the warblers and
many other birds. So many insects
burrow into trees that q highly spec.
ialized class of birds-the woodpeck.
ers-have been developed to dig
them out. The bills, tongues, feet and
even tails have been cunningly
adapted to this end. The bark Of
trees also forms a favorite shelter
for numerous insects, and behold the
Wrens, nuthatches, warblers, creep.
ers, with sharpest of eyes and slend.
crest of bills. The air is full of flying
insects, and to take care of these
there are the swallows, swifts anG
n~fght-hawks, whose wings and bod.
les are, SO shaped as to endow them
with the speed and agility necessary
to follow all the turns and windings
Of their nimble insect prey. The
whippoorwills attend to the nightly.
Ing insects when most birds are
asleep, while the hawks by day and
the owls by night supplement the
work of other birds and have a spec.
ial function of their own, the destruc
tioh OF noxious rodents.
= Cost Goes Up. ur ,
notwithstanding the fact that the
acreage under cultivation in the Unit
ed States is larger than ever before
and that the crops are greater, the
cost Of ioodstuhs continually mount.
upward. Meanwhile the destruction O.
farm and orchard crops by insects
and BY rodents amounts to many mil
f'ons each year. If any part of this
loss al be prevented it will be. SC
much clear gain. Since birds perform
such invaluab bic service, every effor'
should be made to protect them. Thu.
can be done by furnishing nesting
boxes. FOR certain species to nest in
az swallows, martins, wrens, wood