Economic Ornithology. 



Birds are of value to the State as (i) destroyers of 

 noxious insects, their eggs and larvae, and also of small mam- 

 mals, especially when such injurious animals appear in exces- 

 sive numbers; (2) destroyers of weed seed; (3) replanters of 

 forests; (4) food; (5) sport; (6) scavengers; (7) guides to 

 fishermen ; (8) means of mental enjoyment. 



As destroyers of insects that infest the garden, orchard, 

 field, and forest, and consumers of enormous quantities of 

 weed seed, birds have their greatest economic value ; and 

 their feeding habits have been studied by ornithologists con- 

 nected with the Department of Agriculture of the National 

 Government and by others in similar positions in various 

 states. Brief extracts from the results of these investigations 

 will be found in the following pages. Suffice it here to say 

 that only one Owl, a few Hawks, Crows, some Blackbirds, the 

 Starling, and the English Sparrow seem undeserving of 

 protection. But that an abundance of birds is of great benefit 

 on the farm the following extract from " Useful Birds and 

 their Protection " by E. H. Forbush, State Ornithologist of 

 Massachusetts, will show : and this valuable work can be 

 cordially recommended to all those who wish to study this 

 subject further than is possible for us in this Bulletin. ' My 

 first attempt at availing myself of the services of the birds in 

 an orchard was made in 1894-95, and the result was given in 

 a bulletin issued by the State Board of Agriculture. In the 

 winter birds were attracted to the orchard, and frequented 

 the trees during the entire winter of 1894-95. In the fall, 

 winter, and spring they destroyed thousands of the imagoes 

 and eggs of the fall and spring cankerworm moths, the eggs 

 of the tent caterpillar, and probably also the pupae and imagoes 

 of the codling moth, besides scales, tineids, and other enemies 

 of the trees. When spring came, efforts were made to attract 

 the summer birds to the orchard. These attempts met with 



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