St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1915-06-16

don't have any idea how much good
they do u.s. 1t ought to be against the
law to kill quail at any time. AS 1T
is, they say insects destroy one-tenth
OF all we produce. If we were TO kill
all the birds there'd be such plague
OF insects that they'd kill everything
all the trees and vegetation of all
kinds"
Farther on Bill saw a woodpecker
hammering Justify on a dead tree. He
stopped and pointed with his finger.
''Bet l could knock i'm off with rife
from here" he said
Don't ever do it" cautioned Sam.
Hes another friend
"What?" exclaimed Bill. "a wood
pecker kills trees
''No, he doesn't" said Sam. He saves
trees. A woodpecker never bores hole
In tree for fun. He's after worms or
making himself a home, and he makes
his home in dead trees. When he
bores into a green tree he's after a
worm every time. and be always gets
him. The hole the bird makes will
grow up, but If the worm stays it'll
kin the tree. One woodpecker will go
over 600 trees in a day and examine
them for bugs, egg deposits and worms.
It doctors the tree inside and out 1
saw a woodpecker go over nearly ev-
cry tree in our orchard"
"Well, now. didn't know that" said
Bill. IT been KNOWN woodpeckers all
my life. but never paid no attention
to 'em. Guess won't shoot no more
OF 'em."
"To tell the truth" Sam went on.
there are mighty few birds or animals
but what do more good than harm.
believe the common old house cats kin
more birds and chickens than all the
varmints put together. l think it's a
good deed to kill a cat whenever You
find one. There are two kinds OF
hawks-the cooper and the sharp shin
ned-that are bad to kill birds and
chickens. These two hawks look alike.
They are small. The females are a
mottled browntsh color, and the males
are a dull blue It's a good thing to
kill them whenever you get a chance.
The other hawks and owls don't do
much harm. and they do lots OF good
because they Live mostly on rats and
mice and such things. Once In awhile
an owl will bother chickens. but it's
only when its regular food is scarce.
Its pretty much the same way
about the fox, mink. weasel and skunk.
Once in awhile one of these varmints
Will get to be bad after chickens. But
we could hardly do without them be-
cause they keep down the swarms of
field mice, rabbits, grasshoppers, cr1ck-
cts, hornets and wasps."
''Where'd you find out these things p
asked Bill. II know they're true when
hear you say 'em. but somehow
never did think OF 'em before"
I've learned a little by reading.
Sam told him, .'but mostly by keeping
my eyes and ears open when I'm out
in the woods and fields. Sister and
like to study plants and animals. espe-
cially plants. We're going to take a
correspondence course In botany next
year In the state university. Florence
says she's going to be a florist. and
want to know all about plants. so
can farm"
During the long afternoon Sam and
Bill fished and talked, every now and
then throwing out a blue cat or Cog
gle eye to add to their strings that
they kept fastened to the edge OF the
water. 1t was cool and shady along
the creek. Birds sang and squirrels
chartered in the branches overhead.
The two farmers enjoyed the quiet
GOODNESS after the hot days in the field.
Late in the afternoon they wound up
their lines and went home. each car
rying a long string of fish. Sam sat
on the doorstep in the gathering dusk
and breathed the perfume from the
honeysuckle that clambered over the
yard fence. He saw the stars coming
out, one by one. and the moon creep
ing up behind big oak. He heard the
''who-who-who" of an owl away of on
the creek Then suddenly stars, moon
and owl all vanished. He smeIled
fried fish and heard his mother calling
him to supper.
Continued next week.