The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1921-06-04
Hoods SarsaparilIa
CATS, BIRDS, INSECTS
Their Value to Mankind Discussed by
EntomoIoqist.

GHbNiiiSiSA'Sts
New York. June Before discus
sing the trapping Of cats TO prevent
them fom destroying birds which eat
insects, and as it is alleged thus bene-
fit crops which insects might injure,
says Archibald c. Weeks, librarian
Brooklyn chronological society, ! may
say that in more than fifty years /
have not molested or eaten any wild
bird On the tract OF field and forest
where my country residence is locat-
ed no person is permitted to destroy
any animal, BIRD or reptile
The fact is birds that destroy most
insects do va t and incalculable injury
thereby. Insects may be divided into
the beneficial and the injurious.
In the first division are the preda-
ceous and parasitic which destroy other
insects, ana were it not for these in a
very brief period the earth would be
stripped of vegetation and every form
of terrestrial life would disappear.
Birds, however, eat and destroy vast
mentioning in comparison with the &C.
tivities of these predaceous and para
site insects, particularly because they
teXterminate many harmful species
4Wh ch are totally inaccessible to birds.
birds howeyre, eat and destroy vast
numbers of the beneficial insects.
H Then there are the scayenger insects
of which the house fly is one, and
many others of all orders They by
aiding the rapid dissolution of decay
ing organic material, promote san Ia.
t on, maintain the purity Of the air
and water and prevent disease and
plaques. 1t is a maxim in India that
a summer without les is always fol
lowed by a pestilence indeed. the
earth would not be habitable without
them. Birds including poultry, eat
the e valuable insects with ayidity
The angleworm, scayenger, soil
maker and soil aerator and Of vast ben
EFT to the agficultur.st Is a choice
morsel to many birds In the extermi
nation OF injurious insects which birds
do not touch vast sums have been ex
pended for labor and destructive
sprays. Or. Howard, chief of the Blu
reau of Entomology at Wa hington is
import ng predaceous ana paleasitie
insects from Europe to combat the
gypsy and brown tail moths. which
the birds will not consume, but the
birds feed on the imported insects
with relish, In addition there is d
heavy score aga INST birds because
they iniure fruit vegetables, grain and
vegetable and flower seeds and helr
spread weeds.
AS to the cat. | cannot conceive OF
an animal that is Of greater value tC
the human race, The entire world is
harassed and damaged by rats, mice
and similar rodents. The cat, supple
mented hy traps because il is imposs,
bic for the animal to penetrate the in
tricate and involved hiding places Of
rodents in our structures is our only
resort and reliance against rats and
mice. We need every cat and every
means should be awaited Of to train ant
care for it.
The most useful cat is the yagrant
who s-rays through the fields and for
ests and captures the destructive field
mice. The cat is nocturnal as well as
the rats and mice. Could we compute
the toll of rats and mice which the
wandering cats seize at night in a city
like New York the result would b.