170 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



help, and whenever he is in doubt about the necessity of killing, leave 

 the benefit of the doubt to the poor, dumb creature that cannot defend 

 itself. When you are not perfectly convinced that the crow, the black- 

 bird, or any other bird on your field does any harm, don't disturb it. 

 There are birds that may do a little harm for a short time but incalcu- 

 lable good all the rest of the year; I would say, be forbearing and ia- 

 dalgent with them. 



But I want to speak now of a bird, which never does any harm^ 

 and I suppose everybody recognizes in this picture the well-known 

 meadow lark, though not e"erybody may know that it is one of man's 

 best friends. In fact, there is no more useful bird on the fields of Mis- 

 souri farmers than this meadow lark, and it is an eternal shame that 

 this bird is on the list of game birds. 



From earliest dawn of day till nightfall this industrious bird is 

 walking over our fields and meadows to secure the noxious insects, 

 and where our eyes would look for them in vain, the meadow lark finds 

 a sufficiency in every month of the year. It is one of the earliest in- 

 sect-eating birds to return to us in the spring, and it stays longer with 

 ns than most others, thus working busily in the interest of the hus- 

 bandman lor nine months of the year. Some even spend the whole 

 winter in our fields, and it may be assumed that many more would re- 

 main if they would find the protection which they so richly deserve, 

 instead of the foolish persecution by which a few ounces of meat are 

 gained at the expense of bushels of grain and tons of hay. 



The meadow lark's principal food is grasshoppers and crickets, 

 and she finds them throughout the year by her assiduity in inspecting 

 every cranny in the ground, turning over every leaf, and searching in- 

 cessantly through vegetable debris wherever insects find a hiding 

 place. It is highly amusing to watch her during these proceedings, 

 for, like the orioles, black birds and other members of her family, she 

 is very clever in the use of her long and pointed bill. Watch her, for 

 instance, when she wants to inspect the contents of a rolled-up leaf; 

 see how she inserts the closed bill into the roll and by slowly parting 

 the mandibles opens the leaf far enough to expose the interior and ex- 

 tract the insect. 



Years ago I found once a meadow lark shot through the wing, 

 unable to fly, but otherwise uninjured. I took her home and kept her 

 in a large cage for seven years. It is one of the most amusing pets 

 one can get. When not singing she tried to keep her bill busy all the 

 time. With a crumpled-up piece of paper she could play a whole day. 

 Of courc*e, she preferred insects to every other food, and did not re- 

 fuse the oldest, dryest grasshopper. But she could also catch and 



