Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-04-10
CALLS INSECTS 90.
THEREAPOWER
OF THE WORLD
by Latest NALL

institutions annual report Is one or
the value OF birds to man. in which
the author. James BuC kIand OF Lon
don, makes the astounding statement
that although man imagines himsel
the dominant lower of the earth he
is nothing Of the sort, the true lords
or the universe being the insects.
Although man has attained FREEDOM
nance over the most fierce and power
ful animals and most deadly reptiles
he and his works. contends Mr. Buck
land, would be Of little avail before
an attack OF insects. which include a
greater number of species than al
other living creatures combined
About 3UO.oO0 species have been de
scrlbed, while possibly twice that mum
Der still remain unknown.
The author says that these incom-
putable hOrdeS feed on nearly all liv
ing animals and practically all plants
and multiply into prodigious numbers
in an incredibly short time. Compu
tations show that one species devel
Oping - generations a year would if
unchecked to the 18th generation null
tiply to ten sextilljohs, Of individuals,
while single pair of the Well-known
gypsy moths if unchecked would pro
duce in eight years enough progeny
to destroy all the foliage of the Unit.
ed States One pair of potato bugs
he asserts, would develop unchecked
10000, 900 in a single season, at which
rate of multiplication the potato plant
would not survive long!
Eats Twice Its Weight a Day..
According to- Mr.. auckland insects
are quite as astounding in their con-
Stunning qualities as In their rate of
increase. A caterpillar eats twice its
weight in leaves a day and in pro-
portion a horse would consume a ton
of hay in "a hours. Certain flesh
eating larvae consume 200 times their
original weight in "a hours. In this
manner an infant would devour 1900
pounds of meat during the first day of
his life
1t is reported by a specialist that
the food taken by silkworm in Sc
days equals $4,000 times it's original
weight. All of these facts show what
tremendous destruction insects may
cause.
Through it's pfedeminating insect
diet and on account of it's exceedingly
rapid digestion the bird becomes the
most Indispensable balancing force OF
nature. Without it's assistance, man,
with his poisons, the weather and ami.
mails, as well as the parasitic preda.
cious insects, would be helpless. The
author tells how the bird is a bene
fit to man. in checking insect Inya,
sions, in preserving forests and
orchards; points out their service in
the meadows and gardens; their value
in protecting live STOCK, and their use.
fulness in the preservation of health
and elimination of disease.
Remarkable instances of the birds
service to man include the introduc.
tion of the English sparrow into New
Zealand, with the resulting elimina..
ton of the thistle and the caterpillar,
which were running the land and crops
and the saving of Australian agricul.
ture from the grasshoppers by the
straw necked ibis, in individual craws'
Of which an average Of 2400 grasshop-
pers was found.
The story of Frederick the Great,
wherein he is alleged to have ordered
all small birds killed because the spar
rows had pecked at some of his cher.
ries and the resulting lack of fruit
but a fine crop of caterpillars two
years later, proves a graphic lesson.
The scalp act" of Pennsylvania,
which paid in bounties $4,000 for the
aiT1o 81 h
for the state $3,S50,000 in damage,
due to the increase of small rodents
which resulted. -
Rodents Increased in Montana.
When Montana was free from hawks
and owls 1t became so overrun with
destructive rodents that the legislature
offered rewards for 'them-a task
which the ;banished hawks and owls
had performed free Of charge But
during the first six months such large
sums Of money were paid out that a
special session of the legislature was
called to repeal the act before the
state went bankrupt
In 1912 Lord Kitchener pointed out
the necessity. of prohibiting the de-
struction of certain Egyptian birds
which prevented insect pests.
In closing Mr.; auckland makes a
plea for the preservation of all birds
as valuable natural resource, saying
that If their destruction is not check
ed there will be wrought a mischief,
a universal disaster, greater than
words can express.
Another article on birds, contribut. |
ed by Howard H: FCleaves, reviews the
work Of the American Bird Banding
DR.. Ales Hrdlicka of the |
National Museum writes on the most |
skeletai remains of man, and |
DR.. M. Hoernes presents an interest. |
Ing discussion concerning the earlier
forms Of human habitation and their |
relations to the general development
Of civilizations.
The feildal system in Persia is de-
scribed by Jacques de Morgan of |
Paris, while another paper by K Ka-
nokogt Of Toxic discusses the signi,
hcance of ,Shintoism. Papers on engi-
neering subjects include problems int
smoke, fume and dust abatement by
F. &. Cottrell, progress in marine con
struction by Alexander Oracle, and the