USEFUL BIRDS FOUND IN MINNESOTA * 
F. L. WASHBURN. 
There have been so many and so insistent demands, particularly 
from the schools of the state, for information about Minnesota 
birds, and requests for Bird Charts similar to the Insect Charts 
distributed by the Entomologist to the schools several years ago, 
that we hope to obtain from the legislature at the coming session 
$3,000 to prepare and distribute with educational text about 9,000 
such charts illustrating our useful birds. Rather than depend, 
however, upon a resource available only in the future and of an 
uncertain nature, we have endeavored to discuss and figure a few 
of our representative insect-eating birds in this Report, trusting 
that such contributions will be helpful. 
Disregarding any sentimental views upon birds caused by their 
song and beauty, and basing our opinions as to their usefulness or 
the contrary purely upon a study of their food-habits at different 
seasons, and in different years, it is believed that we may safely 
say that almost all of our common birds, including a goodly number 
of hawks and owls, the so-called “birds of prey,” are useful to 
the agriculturist and fruit-raiser. Some are more so than others, a 
few are of doubtful utility, and a still smaller number, representing 
a very small proportion of our bird fauna, we now regard as in- 
jurious in the light of our present knowledge. It is possible that 
additional investigation may cause us to entertain a different 
opinion of the latter. A farmer, or orchardist, or berry-raiser, or 
truck gardener, has a perfect right to protect his crops from exces- 
sive bird injury and we have seen occasions where resort to a 
shotgun was justifiable, but, in such cases, one should be absolutely 
sure that the bird he seeks to destroy is really guilty, that the injury 
caused is serious, and, particularly, that the benefits accruing from 
the destruction oi a large number of insects on the part of the bird 
in question, during the nesting season, do not more than compen- 
sate for the few berries or small amount of other fruit or of garden 
or farm crop destroyed. For this information, the agriculturist has 
to rely mainly upon the results of the studies of experts in this 
line, since it requires long and careful observations and the exam- 
* Also printed as Circular No. 32. 
