The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1916-12-21
EAT INSECT PESTS
BIRDS ARE REAL FRIENDS OF
THE AGRICULTURIST.
investigations Have Proved Beyond All
Doubt That Feathered Creatures
Take High Place in Ranks of
Farmers Helpers.

There seems never to have been Il
time when Americans as people were
giving so much thought to birds as
now. The sentimental virtues Of birds
and their economic uses are being writ
ten of frequently and extensively by
professional and amateur biologists
and ornithoogiSts, and even "A vast
number of bird observers of perhaps
limited professional or technical at
tainments in this department of sci
cnce are writing and talking at length
in behalf of the birds.
The discussion of the economic val
ueS of birds is one of the questions of
serious Importance to the whole coun-
try. 1t has been pointed out by students
Of this subject that II tree swallows
stomach recently examined contained
40 chinchbugs and fragments of many
others, besides ten other species of in
Sects. The stomach of a bank swallow
showed that it contained 6S cotton boil
weevilS, one of the very dangerous and
| destructive insect pests of the United
States. Thrty-five cliff swallows had
eaten an average of Is boil weeyils
each. Two stomachs of pine siskins
from California contained 10 black
olive scales and 300 plant lice. The
stomach of Il kildeer taken in Texas
contained more than 300 larvae. A
ilicker's stomach held 2S big grubs. A
night hawks stomach contained 81
| May beetles, the adult form of the
white grub. New York night hawk
! had eaten "A clOver-leaf weevilS and
3JI ants, and another night hawk, $40
| grasshoppers, 81 bugs, three beetles,
two wusps and spider. A big-tailed
| graCkle taken in Texas had eaten in
one meal about 100 cotton boil weevils,
besides other insects A ring neck
| pheasant bird which the state of
New York is taking great interest in
| propagatng, showed upon examination
of the crop that it contained 5000
seeds of chickenweed and dandelion
head. More than 1000 seeds have been
found in single ducks stomach taken
| IN Louisiana.
The Investigations by the United
States biological survey and the bio
logical and agricultural bureaus of the
various states leave no room for doubt
that birds play an important relation
10 agricultural interests, though there
often seems Il tendency to dwell on the
harm that even muCh-despiSed Eng
lish sparrow has its part to perform
in protecting the agricultural interests
of the United States, and the bureau
of the biological survey has given Il
great deal of attention to this much.
abused bird. 1t has collected them
from all parts of the United States
and made an examination OF 1000
stomachS, the results showing that
during the colder half of the year the
food of these birds consists almost en-
tirely of seeds of weeds.
1t has been estimated by entomolo-
gists that the annual loss caused in
the United States by insects Is $780,
100000 and that were it not for birds
the loss would be much greater. Care
full students have said that without the
aid of our fcathered friends success Il
agriculture would be impossible ne
amount OF weed seed disposed of by
birds, in their depleted numbers is i'm
pressiye, and everybody knows that
the problem of weed destruction Is
very important to agricultural inter
ests.--Wushingto Star.