STATE HOETICULTUEAL SOCIETY. 253 



significant they may seem to the casual observer, are in some 

 way directly or indirectly beneficial to the human race. 



Undoubtedly the great object in the creation of birds was to 

 beautify and enliven the earth and make it a pleasant and agree- 

 able habitation for man. 



In order to successfully accomplish this object a very great 

 variety of birds was necessary, and so complete is the collection 

 that they are bountifully distributed all over the earth, .inhabit- 

 ing the different elements, land, water and air, in profusion, and 

 each species fitted by nature to live in its own country, so that 

 from the frozen regions of the north to the burning desert, wher- 

 ever the foot of the discoverer has trod, birds of some kind have 

 been found. And in order to supply these birds with proper food 

 a very great number of insects are necessary. We will suppose 

 then, for convenience, that the majority of insects which are in- 

 jurious to vegetation are for bird food though no doubt they 

 have other duties to perform which the limited vision of man 

 can not discern, and while we censure them for their bad qual- 

 ities, let us not lose sight of the fact that they are gratuitously 

 performing important tasks which we could not hire done, and 

 so they are all right in their proper place, but from a horticul- 

 tural point of view the best place for most of them is inside of the 

 birds. There are a few insects which are directly beneficial to 

 the fruit grower, principally those that feed on other insects. 

 Now. let us notice this important fact that birds do not eat car- 

 nivorous insects. The same is true of all animals. The lion 

 does not eat the flesh of the tiger, nor does the tiger seem to relish 

 leopard meat. Notice also that man never eats the flesh of car- 

 nivorous animals or birds, preferring instead the flesh of animals 

 that feed on vegetables, and birds whose diet is at least par- 

 tially vegetable. Now it is the same with birds whose instinct 

 teaches them to distinguish between the tender and juicy cut 

 worm and the bitter stink bug, which eats potato beetles. So 

 we must admit that all birds which eat insects are beneficial to 

 to the horticulturist and those only injurious which feed princi- 

 pally upon vegetation or that prey upon smaller birds of insec- 

 tivorous habits. There are many other ways in which birds are 

 a benefit to man. The flesh and the eggs of the game birds are 

 a great addition to the food product of all nations. 



Their feathers serve as personal adornments, toothpicks and 

 pillows, and before the introduction of metallic pens, they were 

 the implements with which our worthy ancestors wrote some 



