602 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
AUG i5 
a defense of the birds. 
Are They Not OurFrlends? 
On page 511 of The Rural, B. B.. Farm- 
ingdale, Ill., in his “Battles of the Fruits 
in Illinois,” says: “Insects, fungi and 
bacteria are on the war-path this season, as 
well as chinch bugs, false chinch bugs, 
aphides, blights, bugs on the cucumbers, 
and bugs in the wheat,” and then winds 
np his really excellent communication on 
fruits by narrow-minded and prejudiced 
accusations against some of the common 
insectivorous birds of his neighborhood, in 
which he shows that he shares In the popu¬ 
lar ignorance as to the economic feeding 
habits of birds when he classes the wax- 
wiDgs and thrushes as nuisances to the 
horticulturist. He says : “ I shoot them 
from June till September,” and then asks: 
“ Did they ever destroy a scourge of Colo¬ 
rado beetles, or woolly aphis, or chinch 
bugs, or flea beetles, or anything else that 
we wanted them to ? ” How can they de¬ 
stroy insects on B. B.’s premises when every 
one that shows its head is savagely “ punc¬ 
tured” by shot from B. B.’s murderous 
shot-gun ? 
Then he complains of their eating his 
choicest new specimens. If a little child 
born in his vicinity should make its way 
into his experimental plot, and in its child¬ 
ish innocence or disregard of supposed 
rights of his, should pick the first speci¬ 
men of choice fruit on some choice plant 
he was testing, notwithstanding there 
were plenty of common sorts within its 
reach, would he out with his gun and 
shoot it down without a thought as to 
whether it was right or wrong ? Methinks 
that when the insects, fungi and bacteria 
get on the war-path on B. B.’s premises, it 
is a just retribution for his past wanton 
destruction of Nature’s feathered workers. 
Many of our most useful insectivorous birds 
have through lamentable ignorance been 
wantonly destroyed by those who should 
have been the first to recognize their valu¬ 
able services and given them the protection 
and encouragement they so richly deserve. 
Of this number perhaps there is none that 
has been more ruthlessly destroyed than 
the cedar bird, or cherry bird, as it is com¬ 
monly called, which belongs to the family 
of waxwings, and which I presume is the 
“ Mexican waxwing ” of B. B. 
Prof. S. A. Forbes, Director of the Illinois 
State Laboratory of Natural History, 
published a paper entitled “ Birds and 
Canker Worms,” in the American Agricul¬ 
turist of November, 1881, page 482, in which 
he gives an account of some investigations 
carried on in an apple orchard in Tazewell 
County, Illinois, under his direction, to se¬ 
cure more reliable information as to the 
part taken by birds in destroying or check¬ 
ing the ravages of canker worms. The birds 
taken were 55 in number and belonged to 
25 species. The most abundant were black- 
throated buntings (Euspiza Americana); 
11 specimens were taken, and by careful 
examination of their stomachs, 93 per cent 
of their food contents were found to con¬ 
sist of insects, just half being canker 
worms, five per cent other “ measuring 
worms,” 17 per cent cut worms of undeter¬ 
mined species, and two per cent of snout 
beetles; these noxious insects thus com¬ 
posed about three-fourths of their food. 
Three per cent of carnivorous beetles that 
are beneficial were found; 11 per cent of 
scavenger beetles, some ants, a single wild 
bee, with a slight sprinkling of other in¬ 
sects. This insect-eating record for a very 
common bird that is commonly reported as 
living mostly on seeds and grains ! 
Next in order of numbers came the cedar 
bird (Ampelis cedrorum) often called the 
cherry bird. A flock of about 30 had appar¬ 
ently taken up their home in the orchard. 
The food record of the seven which were 
killed was very brief—canker worms, 100 
per cent, expressed it all. The number of 
canker worms in each stomach, determined 
by actual count, ranged from 70 to 101. As¬ 
suming that these constituted a whole 
day’s food, the 30 birds were destroying 
3,000 worms a day, or 90,000 for the month 
during w hich the caterpillar is exposed. 
The thrush family ranked next in num¬ 
bers, then came three robins, three cat-birds 
and two brown thrushes—eight in all were 
taken. Twenty per cent of their food con¬ 
sisted of canker worms, although the cat¬ 
birds taken had eaten none, but disposed of 
20 per cent of cut-worms and other cater¬ 
pillars ; 13 per cent were wire-worms and 
spring beetles and their larvae, 11 per cent 
were leaf-chafers (chiefly Anomala blno- 
tata) which is injurious to the grape; eight 
per cent were ants and 12 per cent preda¬ 
ceous beetles ; millipods and dung beetles 
made up most of the remainder. 
E. A. Samnels, in his Birds of New Eng¬ 
land, says of the cedar bird : “ There is a 
great deal of ill feeling manifested towards 
this well known bird by farmers, on ac¬ 
count of its occasionally helping Itself to 
a few cherries or other small fruits. Its 
valuable services In the orchard and nursery 
seem to be overlooked, and its life is often 
forfeited for this little weakness. But if 
the farmer will observe it in its insect- 
destroying labors, watch it as it devours 
caterpillar after caterpillar, or draws from 
its lurking place the larva of some injur¬ 
ious insect, he will come to the conclusion, 
as many have already done, that this bird 
is worthy of his protection instead of deserv¬ 
ing his anger.” 
Nuttall, another observing field ornithol¬ 
ogist, says: “ At this season (April,) to 
repay the gardener for the tithe of his crop, 
their natural due, they fail not to assist in 
ridding his trees of more deadly enemies 
which infest them and the small cater¬ 
pillars,'.beetles and various Insects now con¬ 
stitute their only food, and for hours at a 
time they may be seen feeding on the all- 
despoiling canker-worms which infest our 
apple trees and elms.” 
Of the robins Samuels has this to say : 
“ Perhaps none of our birds are more un¬ 
popular with horticulturists than this; and 
I will here give the observations of differ¬ 
ent scientific men, and my own, to show 
that the predjudice against the bird is un¬ 
just and unfounded. Mr. Travelot of Med¬ 
ford, Mass., (this is the Frenchman who 
introduced the Gypsy Moth which the State 
of Massachusetts is trying to exterminate,) 
who is engaged in rearing silk-worms for 
the production of silk, is troubled by the 
robin more than by most other birds. He 
has a tract of about seven acres inclosed, 
and mostly covered with netting. He is 
obliged, in self-defense, to kill the birds 
which penetrate into the inclosure and 
destroy the worms. Through the season 
probably ten robins for one of all others, 
thus molest him, and of scores of these 
birds which he has opened and examined, 
none had any fruit or berries in their stom¬ 
achs—nothing but Insects. It is to be un¬ 
derstood that this was not in a part of the 
summer when berries were unripe; on the 
contrary, it was all through the season. 
His land Is surrounded with scrub oaks 
and huckleberry bushes. These latter were 
loaded with fruit which was easier of access 
to the birds than the worms; but none 
were found in them. He says they came 
from all quarters to destroy his silk-worms, 
and gave him more trouble than all the 
other birds together. He said that in his 
opinion if all the birds were killed off vega- 
tation would be entirely destroyed. To 
trstthe destructiveness of these maraud¬ 
ers, as he regarded them, he placed on a 
small scrub oak near his door 2,000 of his 
silk worms, (these when small resemble the 
young caterpillar of the apple tree moth.) 
In a very few daj s they were all eaten by 
cat-birds and robins. This was in the 
berry season, when an abundance of this 
kind of food was easily accessible; but the 
birds preferred his worms. Why ? Because 
their young, as well as those of most other 
birds, must be fed on animal food.” 
I believe that if B. B. will take the pains 
to carefully examine the stomachs of those 
which 'ae shoots he will first see that they 
contain more insects than fruit. It may be 
that because his fruit trees have been 
sprayed with poisons which have killed 
vast numbers of the natural insect food of 
these birds they have for the time being 
been obliged to help themselves more liber¬ 
ally to his fruit. 
It strikes me that our practical entom- 
oliglsts by their constantly recommending 
poisons for the destruction of insect pests 
are educating farmers to put too much de¬ 
pendence upon them to the undervaluing 
of natural checks and the consequent undue 
increase of insects. Poisons can be used 
profitably only on limited areas, while many 
of our common insects feed and multiply 
on many varieties of plants that grow wild 
in field and forest where it is impracticable 
to destroy them by poisons. Our insect¬ 
eating birds search everywhere alike for 
their favorite food if unmolested, and if 
they do not destroy all, they hold them in 
check, which is as much or more than man 
can do with poisons. 
Level-headed Dr. Hoskins of Vermont, 
has already sounded a note of warning 
against the promiscuous use of poisons In 
the orchard and fruit garden. Is not this 
poison business likely to be overdone just 
as many other new things in agriculture 
have been in the past, and a tew years 
hence may not people look back upon it as 
a fad of thetimts. Let us hold on to the 
(Continued on next page.) 
A BICYCLE FREE. 
S INCE first offering these bicycles the publisher of The Rural New-Yorker has 
purchased a No. 4 Gendron and found it to be in actual use all that is claimed by 
the manufacturers, and of equal value for active use with any of the $135 machines, 
though not so highly ornamented as some of them. 
The Gendron No. 1. For Boys and Girls. 
THE GENDRON No. 1, figured above, is the best among several that we investigated 
for the use of boys and girls weighing 80 to 120 pounds. It is made of steel tubing and 
steel dropped forgings—the best possible material for such purpose. The ball bearings 
and all the fittings are of prime quality. 
SPECIFICATION.— Wheels: Both 24 inches by % inch Tires; tangent spokes with 
adjustable nipples; geared to 38 inches. Frame: Weldless steel tubing; semi-hollow 
steel forks; dropped forgings throughout; ball-center head; adjustable cones in wheels, 
yoke and pedals. Finish: Enameled black, with handle bar, brake fittings, seat rod, 
braces, cranks, pedals and nuts all highly nickel plated on copper. 
By removing the upper cross-bar—a work of two minutes—the machine Is ready for 
use by girls. The weight is 40 pounds. A tool bag, containing an “Acme” wrench, screw¬ 
driver and oiler goes with each machine. All the parts are interchangeable, so that any 
needed repairs may be had readily. 
PRICE, $40.00. 
HOW to Get it Free. By sending us a club of 75 subscriptions to The 
Rural New-Yorker or The American Garden, at prices named in our “confidential 
letter” of last winter, you will get this bicycle without money cost. If the “confidential 
letter ” has been lost, send for another copy of it. pf" See special offer at foot, .jgj 
At O LOW Price for Cash. We will send this machine (No. 1) to our 
subscribers only for the very low price of #29.00 in cash, and three subscriptions at 
the prices in the “confidential letter.” Or, for $29.00 we will send their bicycle, and 
extend your subscription f or THREE YEARS from the expiration of time already 
paid for. 
This No. 4 is a larger and stronger machine throughout, and will easily carry a man 
of 170 pounds. It is also interchangeable for ladies’ use. Weight of machine, 52 pounds. 
SPECIFICATION.— Wheels: 28 inches front and 30 inches rear by %-inch solid 
tires ; tangent spokes. Frame: Weldless steel tubing ; semi hollow steel forks ; dropped 
forgings throughout; ball-center head. Bearings: Adjustable balls to both wheels, crank 
axle and pedals. Finish: Enameled black, with handle bar, brake fittings, seat rod, 
braces, cranks, pedals and nuts all highly nickel plated on copper. All the parts are 
Interchangeable. PRICE, $90.00. 
How to Get it Free. We will send this wheel free to any present 
subscriber who will send us 125 subscriptions to The Rural New-Yorker or The 
American Garden on the terms of our “ confidential letter.” 
Or we will sell the machine to subscribers only at #G9.00 cash, and five subscriptions 
additional at the prices in our “confidential letter.” Or for $09.00 we will give this 
bicycle and a FIVE YEARS’ subscription. 
The machines are sent by express or freight, from New York or Toledo, at the 
expense of the purchasers. This offer is open until September 1st next. 
ESF* If you get less than 75 or 125 subscriptions, every one you get will help pay for the 
machine at the rate of 60 cents each. For example, if you get 25 subscriptions, this will 
reduce the cash cost of either machine by the amount of #15.00. So that for No. 1 you 
would need to send us only $24 00 additional; or for the No. 4 only $54.00 additional. 
THE RURAL PUBLISHING COMPANY, Times Building, New York. 
