16 



Rusty Grackle. 

 (Scholecophagus carolinensis.) 



This possibility notwithstanding it is but 

 justice to all 

 parties con- 

 cerned that 

 the true re- 

 1 a t i otiiS 

 should b e 

 made known. 

 It is at once 

 evident that 

 the injuri- 

 ous effects 

 of these 

 birds are the 

 result main- 

 ly of their 

 excess ive 

 numbers, as 



is the case when any form becomes ab- 

 noimally common. The blackbirds, be- 

 ing very prolific, allowing the responsi- 

 bilities of life to lie lightly upon their 

 shoulders, and being perfectly adapted 

 to environment, have every reason to be 

 thus numerous. The question arises 

 whether the damage claimed to be done 

 to grain is greater than would have been 

 committed by the insect life destroyed 

 earlier in the season had the blackbird 

 been left entirely out of the deal. Al- 

 most the entire diet of the young black- 

 birds consists of insect life, and this con- 

 stitutes also a considerable portion of 

 the adult food. As a striking instance 

 of the insectivorous qualities of the 

 blackbirds I know of no more persistent 

 enemy to that pest of the canker worm, 

 which, during the past two years, has 

 committed so much havoc among our 

 trees and shrubs, and old and young 

 blackbirds waxed fat upon them for 

 weeks. 



The question of necessity of protec- 

 tion, however, need not be discussed at 

 length now. because of excessive num- 

 bers. On the other hand, plots to exter- 

 minate would be hazardous, if practic- 

 able, because of the danger in their re- 

 moval of the unchecked increase of even 

 more injurious forms, and " it is better 

 to leave well enough alone " for the 

 present in this case. 



When referring to the blackbirds it is 

 not intended that the bobolink or cow- 

 bird shall be included, as these birds 

 hold none of the black records credited 

 to the blackbirds. 



The bobolink, as we know, makes im- 

 mense inroads upon the rice crops of 

 the southern countries, but this does not 

 interfere with us. a«. while with us. 

 his diet is almost entirely insectivorous, 

 the balance being mostly weeds, and he 



is not known to injure cereals or fruit, 

 he is worthy as an economic agent of 

 our fullest protection. 



While we may consider the cowbird a 

 social degenerate, he nevertheless pre- 

 sents a clean record as regards feeding 

 habits, and may be said to be of consid- 

 erable economic value. The food of 

 young and old consists in the majority 

 of insect life, chiefly the more obnoxious 

 and destructive varieties of flies and 

 beetles, with a considerable proportion 

 of grasshoppers, while the balance of 

 the food consists of weed seeds. 



The meadow lark is another species 

 erroneously named by the early colon- 

 ists, and is not a true lark, but belongs 

 to the starling and grackle family. To 

 deal with him. however, as we know 

 him we must consider him one of ..he 

 most generally beneficial species on our 

 extensive list. He is at once one of our 

 most familiar prairie birds and a gener- 

 al favorite. Stomach examinations, the 

 only authentic evidence for or against a 

 bird, prove that from his first arrival 

 in the spring until his departure in the 

 fall he is most industrious in his pur- 

 suit of injurious insect life. Living, as 

 he does, a terrestrial life among the 

 fields and meadows, and adapted, as he 

 is physically, for insect hunting and de- 

 struction, there is no bird better fitted 

 to regulate the noxious insect life over 

 large areas where the greatest damage 

 is being done. He is partial to grass- 

 hoppers, and as he usually has a large 

 family of hungry larklets to provide for, 

 w° may readily imagine the immense 

 number of these pests he devours. Other 

 species taken as food are plant bugs 

 (hemeptera). crickets, caterpillars and 

 myriapods. The record of several hun- 

 dred stomachs shows 73 per cent, of the 

 entire year's food to be insect life, and 

 as this is not easily obtained in Decem- 

 ber and January, even within the winter 

 range of the birds, the record is a re- 

 markable one. 



The record of that brilliant songster, 

 the Baltimore oriole, is one above re- 

 proach and worthy of consideration. 

 Wandering as he does constantly among 

 the upper branches of the trees, he leaves 

 no leaf unturned and no branch unex- 

 plored, and caterpillars, flies, beetles, 

 ants and moths all go to make up the 

 hill of fare of adult as well as young 

 Baltimore. A classification or deter- 

 mination of species destroyed show also 

 that but a slight proportion renresent 

 beneficial species, such as floral fertiliz- 

 ers, but are rather obnoxious wood- 



