Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1923-04-12
BIOLOGY
Marion TharD


I have been asked to prepare
paper on the Birds of Idaho.
To classify these birds would be
an almost endless undertaking, and
it would take volumes to put it all
into print but I shall classify them in
a very important and very brief
method.
There are the beneficial birds, the
birds which are partly beneficial and
partly detrimental, and the detri-
mental birds. The first class, l am
glad to say, is the very largest class
and the third class is a very small
division. Almost all of our common
birds come under the first class
j. e., robins, 'bluebirds, thrushes, fly
catchers, finches, warblers, phoeba,
kingbirds, swallows, orioles. bobo-
links, meadow larks, night-hawks.
and red winged blackbirds; there are
also quite number in the second
class, i. e., crows, hawks and some
species of sap-suckers; the last class
is comparatively small, but some of
the unruly members are: English
sparrows, king-fishers, makpies and
hawks.
Birds are our deares; friends and
anyone who protects them, will sure
ly never regret it.
Birds are of the greatest possible
help to the farmers-they not only
catch numerous insects which work
against the crops but there are MANY
birds, such as woodpeckers, robins.
orioles, blue birds and grosbeaks.
that feed upon the larvae of these in
sects before they have matured or
can do any damage.
Our little feathered friends are
Almost indispensable as agents in
cross TERMINATION and seed planting.
Many millions of grasshoppers.
beetles, caterpillars and other nox-
ious insects are destroyed by the
bluebirds every year.
pair Of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks
are recorded as feeding their vonne
FOUR hundred twen,y-s.x times in
eieVen hours, and House Wren. one
thousand two hundred seventeen
times IN the fifteen hours and forty.
iiTe minutes of daylight.
one young Robin was fed seve,tr
cutWorms and earthworms a dav 81
fifteen days and one hundred sirt,,
i've cutworms have been found in ~
stomach of one robin, these were all
eaten in one day. And students,
"hiIe this wonderful bird is aiding
US so much, one Hamlet in Tennessee
Slaughters and sends to market one
hundred twenty thousand, of the
heIpful birds in one year.
me stomach of one little Gro.
peak when opened. was found 70
contain nothing but potato bugs ~
Is SAID that fifty million potato buss
are etaen by one grosbeak in ons
season. III one
An Oriole, which was HIM. :,
loop of horse hair in a nest - IN
,g was discovered by bird
lover; nothing but insects were found
IN the little stomach :-beetles .nts
Wasps' spiders. bark scales, plant Iica
ana caterpillars. In midsummer tbe
oIloie eats a few grapes and neaa
oah we spare her those few for ~
.odutiess insects she eats and faeds
to her young? ieeus
parh-swallow. killed soma wa,,
on IT'S northward flight. naG Tod ~
cotton-ball weevil, in flying over tbo
youhg cotton plants in the soutb ga
she mad eaten flies. gnates 49,
qultoes and little wasps and -, -
o.olach We're the broken wings of .
saa-fly that stings horses VI
ach KIND of bird has its special
NorS TO do. Woodpeckers 90 nnder
The bark of the forest trees for wood
boring reetles and grubs The
Suckoo ea,s hairy caterpillows. The
only other birds that can manage
.hese are the orioles. In the ston,
zen Of one cuckoo two hundred web
worms were found. The robins l.
lear our lawns; the bluebirds ca,-
olFas. and cedar birds forage in tbe
.rchards. The wood-thrushes and
. ., feed on the ground in groves
me meadow-larks, bobolinks and
hunt in the pastures and
5wamps. The swallsws, the king