Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1920-01-02
i rcderiic Maslkiiln 5 Letter
COUNTING THE BIRDS

the same time that the government
IL setting out to count the peopie
Of the United States through the
agency Of the census bureau, IT. Is
also getting ready through the
biological survey, to count the
American birds. The survey is get
ting into touch with men and won-
en- in all parts Of the United States
who are qualified for the dificult
work of taking a census Of birds,
and it Is studying data on the bird
population which has been accumu-
lattng in ito files during the war,
when there was not time for sum
study. BY some time next summer
it hopes to be able to publish pretty
accurate information as to how
many birds there are In the United
States, and how many of each Ct
several different kinds.
The need for a bird census IL
probably not very apparent to most
Of Ms. There was some interest fl
the undertaking when it was hrst
launched by the survey back in
1914, because OF its novelty. But
a good many ridiculed the practfc-
ability Of counting the birds, and a
good many more asked what was
thu use. The scientists recognize
this inability Of the public to ap-
preciate the necessity Of counting
the birds. They do not ask con.
gress to make an appropriation fol
the work, not because they do not
think it is worth the money. but
because they know they wouldn''
ct any. The bird enumerators arr
al. volunteers. And they are q
good deal harder to find than are
people competent to take human
census. Amateurs are not wanted
only competent. ornithologists. Tn,
survey now has about two hundred
such enumerators on its list ri
correspondents, and it is trying
hard to get more. 1t also has abou
four hundred correspondents whit
have been sending in data about tn,
migrations Of birds. Some Of thes'
are amateurs who know and repor
on only a few species Of birds, bu
the scientists believe that a goot
I, many Of these migration reporter
are capable Of making reliable
census estimates.
The great economic importance
Of a bird census rests upon the far
that birds are our chief allies il
our endless war with insects. TIL
! newspaper reader has heard befor
that the birds are valuable to tn
farmer because they eat bugs tina
damage crops. But that is hardl
an adequate statement of the case
1t would be more nearly the Who'll
truth to say that they are necessar
to the human race because they ca
insects in general.
II they didn't, the insects woul
quickly eat us. Life is clos
fight between the men and the in
sects all the time. The fightip
front of the insect world is repre-
scented by the mosquitoes, flies an
other insects that bring malaria
typhoid, typhus and other dead;
diseases into our h. ,ses and plan
them in our systems. At the sam
time. other divisions Of the insec
army are waging economic war up
ON US. Hessian flies, corn borer;
boil weevils and locusts are i.
| stroying our standing crops 9
wheat, corn and cotton as effec
lively as any human army. Woo
borers and caterpillars are destroy
ing our forests or rendering tn
wood in them unfit for use. Moth
are devouring our clothes, ants a.
wintering in our houses and eatin
and poisoning our food. The larva
of various insects are lying in wa
for unsuspecting teeth in apple
and other fruits. A man VIII
knew more about the subject coul
60 on enumerating the crimes {
insects by the column. They ar
after US everywhere and in ever
conceivable way. They consum
many thousand tons Of human foo
every year, and destroy millions {
dollars worth of industrial mattel
ial They kill thousands Of huma
beings, and they render who
regions almost uninhabitable. The
have always been doing this an
they do it so inconspicuously tn,
We do not fealize the tremendol
, extent Of the damage.
In like manner the birds have A
. ways been hard at work hold!a
the insects in control, and for II
same reasons we have never full
realized the extent or the necessil
OF this work on the part Of Il
birds. They are the only incessan
ubiquitous defense We have again
the insects. There are few an
mails that prey on insects, and Y
have devised some fairly effect!l