The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1918-04-12
Birds Not in Danger
SAYS j. r. Parker,

Grows and magpies are the only
birds taht are being killed by the gov
eminent gopher poison" said j r.
Parker, who is in charge of the gopher
killing campaign that is being pushed
III western Montana. Yesterday Mr..
Parker was much surprised to hear
that a statement had been made by o
state game official that this campaign
was really injuring the farmers by
killing off hundreds of birds. He be-
hcVes that the state official must have
been misinformcd as to the kind of
birds killed. Mr.. Parker says that after
the poison has been distributed and
takes effect that it is the usual thing
for hundreds of crows and magpies to
Sather and pick to pieces the dead ami
mails that have been killed by the
s;.ychnine. The result is that many Of
the crows and magpes are soon in the
SINE condition as the squirrels. They
ale not killed by eating the poisoned
grain but by the strychnine which has
rcrmeatcd the dead bodies of the
squirrels. The farmers generally look
upon this condition of affairs with de-
light for they are killing three pests
with one shot and it is not likely that
the state game warden would object
to killing this class Of birds.
'Stories of the deadly results of the
squirrel poison to crows and magpies
are to be heard in every community in
which the gopher campaign has been
carried on and it is only natural that
someone should Jump at conclusions
and say that game and song birds arc
IL danger Not Il single instance o.
this has been reported, however, even
though we have distributed over six
tens of the prepared grain durin lht
last ten weeks"
Mr.. Parker states that Il Is n we'll
known fact that song AMI game birds
are not fond of oats ana that even If
they do pick up few kernels they are
resistant TO strychnine. IN North Da-
kota where squirrel poisoning has been
carried on for number Of years.
there is a stlnding offer Of ten dollars
for every game bird killed by gopher
poison and the reward has never been
called for.
Mr. Parker got in touch with l.. H.
Spring. county agent for Rayalli coun-
tN, and inquired whether any beneficial
f.rds had been killed in the intensive
gopher campaign that is being con-
Quoted up the valley. County Agent
Spring replied that while approx
Tately 5000 quarts of prepared oats
had been put out by RaValli county
farmers during the last two weeks not
a single instance of beneficial bird
killing had come to his attention, even
though he had been out among the
farmers during all that period making
special inquiries as to how it was
working. He was quite sure that if
beneficial birds have been killed in mum
bers that it would have come to his
attention.
Mr. Parker states that the state en-
pertinent station, which he represents,
would not push n campaign that in
voWed the destruction of our song and
game birds and if it can be satisfac-
torils. proved that they are being killed
b be so hit for D' '''''0'''S S0''''s WIZ
Mr.. Parker. who is assistant entO-
biologist for the state experiment sta
tiCn. said that birds have very little
to do with the abundance of grass
hoppers and he ridicules the statement
of the game warden that the gopher
campaign viii result in grasshoppers
being even more abundant this year
than last. According to those who
have closely Studied srasshoppers."
said Mr.. Parker, frthe most important
factors which govern their abundance
are weather conditipns. and the rela-
tive abundance of parasitic flies and
diseases. If these factnrs are favorable
to their increase birds could no more
hold grasshoppers in check than could
little bunch of alliedcairmen check
the onslaught of the hordes OF German
infantrymen."
REST