1 62 



THE GUIDE TO NATURE 



The Poisoning of Birds by Spraying 

 Trees. 



The increasing use of arsenate of lead 

 in spraying orchards and shade trees for 

 the suppression of insect pests seems to 

 have created considerable alarm among 



arsenic is required to kill caterpillars, 

 and a great many of the poisoned ones 

 would have to be eaten at one time to 

 affect a bird under ordinary conditions. 



In ten years' experience with spraying 

 in various localities the writer has been 



A BIRDLESS AREA STRIPPED BY GIPSV MOTHS. 

 Photographed in July. 



'bird-lovers generally as to the danger of 

 killing birds through the poisoning of 

 their food. Especially has this been the 

 case throughout the territory of the gyp- 

 sy and brown-tail moth infestation in 

 Massacliusetts and elsewhere, as it has 

 frequently become necessary to spray 

 large areas of woodland, and there has 

 been a number of reports of birds being 

 found dead in these localities, attribut- 

 ed to the spraying. 



A thorough investigation of this matter 

 tends to show, however, that there is lit- 

 tle danger to birds of poisoning from this 

 source, and there appears to be several 

 practical reasons born out by extended 

 and careful observation for this conclu- 

 sion. That birds will seldom feed upon 

 <iead ordyingcaterpillars has been prac- 

 tically proven in many instances, and by 

 this means only would they be likely to 

 obtain much of the poison. A^ery little 



interested to note its effect on birds, and 

 has never known of an instance of a bird 

 being killed by the poison, nor of tlreir 

 deserting the locality on account of this 

 work. He has, however, seen birds' nests 

 deserted and found young birds dead and 

 dying from heat and exposure in infested 

 preas where no spraying had been done 

 and the trees and shubbery were eaten 

 bare by the caterpillars. Such an area 

 is destitute of bird life, and under present 

 conditions any badly infested localit}' is 

 sure to be reduced to this condition if it 

 is not sprayed. 



Dr. Willard G. Van Nann, Zoologist 

 of the New York State Museum, writes 

 me as follows in regard to this subect : 



"In regard to the poisoning of birds by 

 spraying trees there seems to be a gen- 

 eral agreement that it is responsible for 

 killing some birds, especially orioles, 

 cuckoos, grosbeaks and purple finches, 



