232 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS 



bold a measure be rasbness beyond description ; an impeachment of the wisdom of Him 

 who created all things and pronounced them good ; an unhinging of the very founda- 

 tions of nature. 



Mr. Walsh believes because the bark louse is found first on the lower limbs of a tree, 

 that it must therefore have been conveyed there by some bird. Now is it a fact that 

 birds sit on the lower limbs more than on upper limbs ? The birds of passage — Silvico- 

 lidse, Wrens, &c., &c, that frequent orchards abont the time of the opening of the blos- 

 soms, have nearly all left for their breeding grounds in the North, before the hatching 

 of the apple bark louse. The "Thistle bird," "Yellow Warbler," "Maryland Yellow- 

 throat," "Orchard Oriole," "Baltimore Oriole," " Robin," " Cat-bird," " Brown Thrush," 

 King-bird," a few varieties of Sparrows, &c., &c, only remaining. Now where do we 

 usually see these birds perching? I feel quite confident, most frequently on the upper 

 limbs and outer branches. We therefore are forced to conclude that the finding of the 

 bark louse first on the lower limbs, is almost a positive evidence that it came there by 

 crawling up the trunk of the tree ; and after a long, weary journey, it would be very 

 likely to stop for food, at the first opportunity, on the lower limbs, and thus become 

 permanently located. 



But why charge this upon birds, any sooner than upon insects ? Who has not seen the 

 swarms of insects, flies, &c, among the trees, at this season ? And is it not just as rea- 

 sonable to suppose that the young bark louse might attach itself to the foot of some fly 

 or other insect, and thus be transported to the neighboring tree, and are not the proba- 

 bilities in favor of this explanation, much greater than the bird theory ? 



We must, therefore, come to the investigation of this important subject, with unbiased 

 minds. If we are entomologists, we must not let " the bugs" get so close to the organ 

 of vision, as to obscure the light of the sun. If ornithologists, we must candidly review 

 the subject by the light of truth, be the consequences never so unpleasant. If studying 

 both sciences, we must still search for truth, using only the the mighty lever of observa- 

 tion, to dig for the hidden treasures in the great book of nature. 



The doctrine that would induce us to kill all the birds, is a dangerous one ; one that 

 would so materially unbalance the great laws of nature, as to bring down condign pun- 

 ishment, with sorrow, upon our unworthy heads. Let it be well considered. I believe 

 that the execution of such an edict would result in so rapid a multiplication of noxious 

 insects in a few years — yes, before the present generation had passed away — that every 

 green thing would be destroyed, and famine reign triumphant throughout the land. 

 This is no overdrawn picture. Figures are not wanting, based upon observation, to show 

 that the controlling influence of one family of birds is very great, and all on a single 

 farm, beyond calculation. 



Where is the man with a well balanced mind, that would wilfully and deliberately kill 

 all the birds, were it in his power, or even encourage such a disposition among the youths 

 of the land ? To establish such a desire might be productive of greater mischief than 

 any other, bearing upon the entire economy of insects ; might far outweigh all the good 

 that can ever come from the accurate description and classification of all the "bugs" in 

 the world. This latter is an interesting and important object — one well worth develop- 

 ing ; yet it is of but secondary importance, compared with the economy of insects. I 

 believe that the extermination of all birds would be an unparalleled error — one that 

 could never be amended by all the devices of man. Birds are nature's scavengers in the 



