Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1921-12-08

number of other small mammals to
make an average of almost three to
the pellet and probably to the meal. In 592 pei
lets collected in California there found skulls
and other traces of 261 pocket gOphers, IA field
MICE 1S4 pocket mice, IA deer mice, 80 harvest
MICE 230 kangaroo rats, and 215 house mice. These
items make it clear that the barn owl is constantly
doing work of great value to agriculture Its serv-
ices typical of those of hawks and owls in gen.
eral Owls as a group have long been prosecuted
by man, but never has persecution been more un-
just. The hawks and owls not che only suffer-
ers, however, for when their numbers are greatly
reduced in any community, farmers will be forclbly
reminded of the fact by a great increase in the
number of destructive rodents.
Among the most praseworthy birds are the
cuckoos. The widely distributed species, the
yellowbilled and blackbilled cuckOOs, usually keep
out of sight, but well known by their strange
notes. which have earned them the name 'rain
crow" The cuckOos feed very largely caterpil-
lars and subsst to larger extent than most Of
our birds on the hairy and spiny kinds. One stom-
ach contained 250 tent caterpillars and another
PIT fall web-wOrms. The cuckoos fond also
of grasshoppers saw1y larvae plant bugs, and
other injurious insects.
The large and important woodpecker family in
cludes "a species in the United States most of
them highly beneficial. They are the chief de-
tenders of trees against insect attack, most Of
them being specialized to feed upon woodboring
10 to so per cent of the annual diet of various
species is made up of ants, which are almost uni
formly injurious. The fckers, "yelow-ham-
mers," especially are assduous destroyers of ants,
one of these birds being known to have taken more
than 5000 at single meal.
group of BIRDS which, though diverse in ap-
pearance, related in essential characters, in
cudes the chuck-will s-widows whip-poor-wills
poor-wills, nighthawks, swifts and humming birds
All are almost strictly insect eaters and conse-
quenty beneficial. The larger ones feed extensive
ly upon eaf-chafers, the larvae of which, including
the well-knOwn white grubs, very destructive
The nighthawks take considerable of the same sort
of food, but in common with the swifts, capture
a great variety of small insects more than so diff
ferent kinds having been found in single stomachs,
represented in some cases by thousands of indvid-
uals.
One Of our families of birds gets its popular
name "fycatcher" from the insect-eating nature
of its Species 81 of which live in the United States,
including such birds the spectacular scissortail,
the bold dashng kingbrd, and the more quiet and
domestic phoebe. On the average, 90 per cent of
the food of these birds has been found to consist
of insects. The rOSe-chafer, species not only de-
structive to vegetation but known to be poisonous
to chickens and pheasants, is freely eaten by the
kingbird. Several fycatchers have the reputation
of eating hive bees to injurious extent, but it
has been shown that they take mostly drOnes and
furthermore that they eat enough enemies of bees
rObberies, to pay for all the domestic they
take.
The jays crows and ravens have always been
severely criticized, and it must be admitted that
on the whole the criticism is justified. About the
best that can be said for birds of this family is
that on the average they do about much good
as harm. 1t would a good policy to accord
them the same treatment long given the common
crow-the crow is not especially prosecuted
neither Is it protected Thus while the birds are
allowed to exist in reasonable numbers for the sake
of the good they do the way Is left open for ag-
gressive measures against them when necessary
In the of this family, of all destructive
birds, damage Is the result of Overabun dance.
The damage done by the blackbirds is conspic
uously the result of Overpopuation. The damage
sometimes is serious, and protection of these spe
ces Is not recommended In the same family with
the blackbirds however, such birds as orioles
and meadowlarks and these do much more good
than harm.
The great sparrow family, comprising almost a