New Britain herald., 1922-07-07
IDEAS ABOUT BIRDS
 OFTEN MISLEADING
Supposedly Injurious Feathered
 Creatures Aid to Farmers

Washington, July T.-studies o birds as insect destroyers and Of yer, min and parasite pests. extending through a century of observations show that many so-called bird pest, are themselves effective aids 10 the farmer. and others not generally thought to be insect destroyers arc active in that work. W. l.. McAtee of the Biological Survey of the De- partment of Agriculture, says in re- view in the annual report of the Smithsonian institution just publish ed.
 Outstanding among these are cited the English sparrow, often systema- tically destroyed as a pest, which nev- ertheless feeds upon the seventeen year locust, asparagus beetle, locust leaf miner, tent caterpillar, canker worm, army worm and drop worm and the bob white quail. usually a seed eater, which also feeds upon the locust and the olive scale.
 The general utility of birds in checking the increase of injurious animals and plants is well under stood" he continues. Tt must be admitted, however, that while birds constantly exert oppressive influ- ence on the numbers of the organ isms they prey upon and even exter- minate certain pests locally. they are not numerous enough to cope sue cessfully with widespread invasions,"
 Nevertheless, Mir McAtee cites nu- merous authentic instances where bird focks have destroyed insect plaques and their eggs and larvae so completely that such species have never returned to the localities where formerly they had wrought great crop damage. or were present in such de- pleted numbers as to be almost neg ligihe. In most of the cases he cites efforts of farmers or gardeners to eradicate the pests had proven fruit less and the crops had been given up for lost.
 One reason for this near-exterina- tion at times. he says, is that birds are prone to feed upon whatever food is most easy to procure at the time So that if berries or fruit are abund- ant in a locality they will constitute
 
 and when insects swarm in great numbers, the birds are attracted to that abundant source and feed upon them until the supply gives out
 Notable among many instances mentioned, are various local exter- minations of the Rocky Mountain or Migratory locust, which even since ISIS has at times threatened gram fields in several sections. especially on the Great Plains. MT. McAtee's arti- cle tells of numerous times when grain growers despaired of saving crops from hordes of loousts so thick upon the ground as to be counted by the hundreds upon square foot of field. Just as they had given up hope of saving their crops, f1ocks of yell low head. and Brewers blackbirds, gulls, quail English sparrows. among other species. appeared and fell upon the pests with such effect that much of the grain survived the attacks.
 The article includes many instances as well, of saving crops both field and garden. in Eastern sections, of ar-annihilation of grubs. moths, caterpillars. beetles and parasites in trees. especially in orchards, and shows the great good done by birds in eating weed seeds.
 Owls have been placed in rat or mice infested cellars and granaries, he says, with such success as to elin- mate there that source of widespread economic loss in grains and cereals.
 Hot house gardeners, he declares. have often found it profitable to in troduce various species of birds. known to be insect or lice destroyers, within the houses instead of spray ing or otherwise using chemicals and fumigating The latter processes. he declares, have often been found to weaken and stunt the tender young plants, while no disadvantage