354 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTUEAL SOCIETY. 



In commenting on these results Prof. Forbes says "I do not be- 

 lieve that the horticulturist can sell his small fruits anywhere in 

 the ordinary markets of the world at so high a price as to the robin, 

 proyided that he uses proper diligence that the little huckster does 

 not overreach him in the bargain. In other words, while the bird 

 is far too valuable to exterminate, at least until we are sure that we 

 can replace him by some cheaper assistant, yet he is not so precious 

 that we need hesitate to protect our fruits from outrageous injury." 



By far the most complete work has been done by Prof. E. V. 

 Wilcox. He examined the stomachs and crops of 187 robins during 

 the months of April, May, June, July and August, and found the 

 proportion of food as follows: beneficial species (plants and in- 

 sects) 52 per cent; injurious species 19 per cent, and 29 per cent 

 of species whose economic relations were not known. He con- 

 cluded by saying "It seems we may justly urge, from the results 

 set forth above, that the fruit grower should at least be allowed to 

 kill the robin during the season when he is most harmful, and not 

 as at present be in danger of arrest and fine for shooting the robins 

 in his own garden." "The robin may be a pleasant singer and may 

 possess commendable domestic habits, he destroys cutworms and 

 white grubs, but let us not imagine that all his insect food is of an 

 injurious nature, and let us not, while praising the robin for the 

 good he does, forget his faults, which are many." 



It is an interesting fact to note here that our robin is not the true 

 robin but the thrush. Our early ancestors probably found in it the 

 closest resemblance of any of the birds to their familiar robin red 

 breast of England and Europe, and, hence, the word robin and all 

 the sentiments attached to the home bird in the old country have 

 been handed down to us in connection with this red breasted thrush, 

 for it is a thrush and not a robin. 



Turning now to the group of birds which are generally ostracised 

 — and very unjustly ostracised — let us consider the hawks and owls. 

 Every farmer's boy feels it his bounden duty to destroy every hawk 

 and every owl which comes within the reach of his gun, and many 

 of our worthy sportsmen try their skill on any unfortunate hawk or 

 owl or crow which comes within their reach. 



Some very thorough work has been done upon this point by 

 agents of the U. S. Department of Agriculture. The results of this 

 work are surprising, as it shows us, I believe, that these birds are 

 really our friends and deserve protection rather than annihilation. 

 Space forbids a detailed enumeratioa of all the cases, but some of 

 the leading facts are here given. 



