The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1916-03-09

. tina, during the colder half of ~
year al least four ftfhs Of the food q.
these birds consists 81 common wee,
seeds. Quail and grouse are destroy
cts OF weeds and insects and iudce.
Jte quail value Is far higher Ia Thu.
capacity than as WAND. They on,
.amaHngIy destructive to potato-buE,
iaausta. beetles, and eaterp.llars; aud
aIHl stu higher as dc-troycrs OF
weeds. Dr. Judd estimates that in The
two statcs of Virginia, and North Car
DINA, curing .he summer months, the
quail eat $50 tons Of weed seeds, and
alo tons of insects. The red sbouldcr-
ed hawk, the better known red.tailed
hawk, and the common marsh hawk,
are all more useful than injurious.
Occasionally. one will take poultry,
but Il has been determined definitely
shat bird foods is an almost negligible
part Of their diet, while small rodents
are consumed in large numbers
Moreover, the farmer who kills the
little screech owl isFrossy careless Of
his own interests, The cuckoo has a
prediction for squash-bugs, hairy
caterpillars, ana tntworms. while the
phoebe, nesting under the piazza cav
I Is, .nrives upon flies and mosquitoes
When we realize the interchangeable eff
fort Of these little workmen, j, would
seem that the keenest competition for
their services should exist among in
tclligent people.
Concerning :hc moral and aestheti,
reasons for protecting birds: our con.
mon happiness is largely made up Of
pleasant sights, sounds, and thoughts;
and birds classic influence contrib
uting to our happiness-are immort
ally enshrined in our folklore and
folk songs, our poetry and our music.
Do we owe them naught for Beethov
ems Pastoral Symphony, for the in
comparable mingling of golden tongues
in "Siegfricd," for their part in "The
Creation" for, "Hark, bark, the
lark? For the inspiration Of the
poets of all time do we owe them
them nothing? And yet the head Of
the little sky-lark, darling Of the Eng
fish poets, not long ago was used, to-
gcthcr with chanticleer bow, to ere
ate the latest thing in ladies' neck
wear, sold by New York department
store. It's sale, however, was sum-
marily stopped by the Audubon Soci-
ETY..
Finally, bird protection is work
which reacts benefcially upon the
worker. 1t can be carried on by chill
dren as well as adults, and if children
acquire thereby deeper wells Of sym
patty, thoughtfulness, unselfshness
and justice, are they not already start
ed upon their way toward that ideal
Of good citizenship which we desire
they shall attain to later?
We now come to the poin. Of consid-
ering the individual and group efforts
in behalf of bird welfare; and in this
connection, it is purposed to outline
the methods used by Mr. Baynes, in
his own garden, and by the Meriden
Bird Club Of which he was organize
and is now general manager.
For hundreds of years, the Chinese
convention of cages has compelled the
presence of wild prisoners
within doors and without. This con
vention still prevails, although prob !
ably with a gradually weakening hold }
1t is pleasant to think that one of the
earliest influences tending to convert
the prisoner into the honored guest
sprang in Germany, land long asso-
cia.ed with traffic in imprisoned song
birds. Prominent among the pioneers
of this enlightened movement is Baron .
Hans Won Berlepsch, whose fine estate
near Essen is wholly devoted to birds
and bird sanctuaries. He has studied
to meet the needs of his feathered
friends, and in turn has had his estate
preserved to him-an oasis in an in
sect-ridden region.
To make guest Of void bird
means to assure him of your benev-
olence, to provide for his need while
he is with you, and to protect him
from malevolent natural foes. Should
ne be chickadee, it will not take long
10 win his trust; shyer birds will re-
luire long and gentle persuasion {
heir gift of friendship is not to be {
90 lightly accorded. {
Provision for his needs consists in ,
he selection and preparation Of food,
md in the placing of it in sheltered i
pots where he may enjoy it with least 8
and discomfort; con- /
lists as well in supplying homes suited $
o the nature of his partner and him
elf; and if he may have a shallow Q
ool wherein to wet his whistle and i
athe his delighted little body, all he q