THE OREGON SPORTSMAN 



gather in flocks and skirmish about wherever grasshoppers seem 

 most abundant. Sparrow-hawks, pheasants, quail, meadowlarks 

 and many other birds live largely upon grasshoppers and other 

 insects when they are abundant and thus assist man in the pro- 

 tection of his crops. 



The Chinese or Denny pheasant is the most abundant game 

 bird in Oregon. We sometimes hear the complaint from gardener 

 or farmer that this bird is damaging crops. It is very true that 

 the pheasant eats corn, peas, potatoes and grain, but at the same 

 time, he devours many injurious insects. A male pheasant killed 

 October 15, 1913, had its crop and gizzard filled with grass- 

 hoppers, weevils, soldier bugs and cut-worms. The crop of 

 another pheasant contained thirty-four grasshoppers, three crick- 

 ets and eleven beetles. 



The Balance of Nature 



In the vegetable and animal world, all living things are bound 

 together in many ways. In the struggle for existence, every 

 species is related closely to many other species, each acting as a 

 force in itself to hold the equilibrium which is called the balance 

 of nature. This natural law of our world may well be compared 

 with that which keeps our solar system in operation. Each 

 species is a powerful force within itself to live and multiply and 

 in turn is held within bounds by the forces and actions of every 

 other species. There is an intense natural competition to keep 

 this balance even. 



The natural checks upon insect life are the wild birds that 

 live in our fields and forests. If we were to kill off the birds of 

 a certain locality, we should immediately overthrow the balance 

 of nature and there would be a corresponding increase of insects. 



Without the wild birds, our forests would be swept as by a 

 blast of fire. Our trees would look like an army of telegraph 

 posts. The importance of bird life in conserving our forests is: 

 well known. Four hundred different species of insects are con- 

 tinually working on the oak tree alone. The birds of the forests 

 are constantly catching and consuming these insects. On the 



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