Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1921-03-22
Birds.

Il
where especial attention has been paid
to attracting and protecting birds the
damage by insects has become practical
ly unnoticeable. Everywhere the ten
deucy of birds is to hold down the tide
of insect numbers. 4 careful estimate
shows that the grasshoppers destroyed
monthly by . single meadowlark would
consume forage worth at the lowest
valu alton 80 cents. In the ak months
that may properly be included In the
grasshopper season, therefore, each
meadowlark prevents the loss of sS from
devastation by grssshoppers. The
amount saved by the destruction OF
other insects must be fully as great, so
that meadowlar may be fairly ssti
mated to destroy insects capable of
causing damage Of at least IS per year.
On account of Its larger size, the mead
owlark is considerably above the aver
age of our insectivorous birds In its
capacity for destroying insects. The
value of many birds in preventing In
creases in losses from farm pests, GER
tainly can be conservatively estimated
at Loo per year.
-
against hawks and owls was set In mo-
ton by fussy people who had lost few
young chickens from that source. This
idea of extsrminating hawks and owls
swept across the country and to-day
there are not many of them left any
where.
These peopls are now regretting their
hasty action. They realize that they
killed very good friends that had been
the means OF saving their orchards and
vegetables from serious destruction by
field mice. A short time after the
hawks and owls had practically been
sxterminated, farmers in the vicinity of
Winchester, Virginia, were thunder,
struck to suddenly discover that mice
had destroyed apple orchards causing
them q loss of more than $3.50, 900. This
is only one of dozens of similar cases
that have occurred all over the country.
The damage Is done in winter, under the
snow, where the mice eat the bark from
the trees, often completely girdliug
them and causing death. Farmers are
now demanding laws protecting owls
and hawks. They at last realize that for
every thousand dollars worth of chick
ems destroyed by such birds, the mice
destroy a quarter OF million dollars
worth of trees and vegetables, which
they could not have done If the hawks
and owls had been on hand to eat them.
An investigation of 2S stomachs of
hawks disclosed from five to twelve
meadow mice In them. A few rats,
house mice, shrews, and other small
animals also were found.
Nighthawks are so expert in fight
that no insects can escape them. In
their capacious mouths they sweep up
rythipg from the largest moths and
dragon flies to the tinisst ants and goats,
and in this way sometimes gather most
remarkable collections of insects. Sew
eral stomachs have contained 80 or more
different kinds, and the number OF indi-
viduals ran into the thousands.
Nearly q fourth of the birds total
food is composed of ants. These insects
are generally annoying and often very
injurious, especially on account of their
damage to stored products and because
Of their habit of fostering destructive
plant lice. More than q fifth of the
nightbawk's food consists of June bugs,
dung beetles, and other beetles of the
leaf. chafer family. These are the adults
of white grubs, noted pests, and even as
adults many members of the family are
decidedly harmful.
No bird is better known to country
residents than the bob white. The
birds CHEEKY calls the year round form
part of the most pleasant associations OF
nd fko
monious coloration, and especially its
confiding habits, make 1t a general favor
ite.
Animal food, chiefly insects, composss
nearly a sixth of the birds subsistence.
From June to August, inclusive, when
insects are most numerous, their proper
ton in the food is about SO per cent.
The variety of insect food Is great and
includes q number Of the most destruc-
tive agricultural pests. Among them
may be mentioned the Colorado potato
beetle, 12.spotted cucumber beetle, bean
leaf beetle, squash ladybird, wireworms,
May beetles, corn billbugs, clover-leaf
weevil, cotton boll-weevil, army worm,
boil worm, cut-worms and chinch bug.
The little screech owl, according to
DR.. Fisher, is q diligent mouser, also
consuming grssshoppers, crickets, bee
ties, cutworms, toads, scorpions, lizards,
craw fish, frogs and fish. As many a.
so grassboppers have been found in one
stoma mach, 1888 beetles In another and l3
cutworms in another.
In food habits the house wren Is en-
tirely beneficial. He may be said to
live upon animal food alone, for an ex-
animation of So stomachs showed that
9S per cent of the contents was made OF
insects or their allies, and only two per
cent was vegetable food, including bits
Of grass and similar matter, evidently
taken by accident with the insects.
Half of this food consisted OF grasshop-
pers and beetles; the remainder of cater
pillars, bugs and spiders. As the wren
is q prolific breeder, frequently rearing
In a season from II to 10 young, . fam
ily Of these birds must cause consider
able reduction In the number Of insects
In . garden. Wrens are industrious for
ayers, searching every tree, shrub, and
vine for caterpillars, and examining
every post and rail of the fence and
every Granny In the wall for insects or
spiders.
Examinations of the stomachs of 1886
robins show 40 per cent OF robins food
10 animal matter, principally insects,
while the remainder is made up largely
of small fruits or berries. Over 16 per
| cent consists of beetles, about oDe-third
of which are useful ground beetles, tax
on mostly in spring and fall when Other
insects are scarce. Grasshoppers make
up about 8 per cent of the whole food,
but In August they comprise II per cent
Catsrpillsrs form about 8 per cent,
while the rest of the animal food, about
II per cent 10 made up Of various in.
scots, with Q few spiders, snsils, and
anglevorms. All the grasshoppers
caterpillars, and bugs, with large por
ton of the beetles, are injurious, and Il
Is safe to say that noxious insects com
prise more than one-third of the robins
food.
The ptomachs of 645 catbirds were ex
i amined and found to contain A per Gem
of animal (inseot) and SO per cent o.
vegetable food. Ants, beetles, cater
pillars and grssshoppers constitute
three-fourths OF the animal food, th'
remainder being made up OF bugs, mis-
cellansous insects, and spiders.
i Seven common species OF swallows ar,
found within the limits Of the United
States, four of which have abandoned Il
some extent their primitive nesting hab
its and have attached themselves to tn
Il L. L. "a