692 
FOREST AND STREAM 
Nov. 30, 1912 
Published Weekly by the 
Forest and Stream Publishing Company, 
Charles Otis, President. 
W. G. Beecroft, Secretary. S. J. Gibson, Treasurer. 
127 Franklin Street, New York. 
CORRESPONDENCE — Forest and Stream is the 
recognized medium of entertainment, instruction and in¬ 
formation between American sportsmen. The editors 
invite communications on the subjects to which its pages 
are devoted, but, of course, are not responsible for the 
views of correspondents. Anonymous communications 
cannot be regarded. 
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THE OBJECT OF THIS JOURNAL 
will be to studiously promote a healthful in¬ 
terest in outdoor recreation, and to cultivate 
a refined taste for natural objects. 
—Forest and Stream, Aug. 14, 1873. 
BIRD ENEMIES OF DESTRUCTIVE 
MOTHS. 
Most birds devour insects in greater or less 
numbers, and for some species these constitute 
almost their exclusive diet. The greatest harm 
is done by the larva, for the adult usually does 
little direct damage and confines itself to laying 
the eggs, which must take their chances in the 
struggle for existence. 
The investigations of the Bureau of Ento¬ 
mology seem to show that the damage done by 
insects to the apple crop of the United States 
amounts roughly to $12,000,000 each year, and 
in addition to that it must be remembered that 
$3,000,000 or $4,000,000 are expended annually 
in trying to fight insects. Most of this damage 
is done by the codling moth, whose larvae bore 
into the growing fruit and spend a period of 
from ten to thirty days feeding on the seeds and 
about the core. They then come out and take 
refuge in the crannies or crevices in the bark 
of the branches where they spin their cocoons, 
perhaps to come out as adult insects later in the 
season ; perhaps not to appear until the follow¬ 
ing spring. 
Woodpeckers, titmice, chickadees, nuthatches 
and creepers are the chief enemies of these pests, 
and the usefulness of these different groups in 
destroying these worms can hardly be overesti¬ 
mated. Many interesting observations were 
recently given by W. L. McAtee. He 
quotes evidence to show that the woodpecker 
has some way of judging of the position of the 
caterpillar which lies under the bark. He does 
not believe that this is done by smell or sound, 
but that the bird finds the situation of the prey 
by tapping on the bark and that the sound of 
this tapping tells him where the caterpillar is, 
just as the physician learns of the condition of 
his patient’s lungs by what he calls percussion. 
It is believed also that the downy wood¬ 
pecker not only gets codling worms from the 
trunks of the apple trees, but even takes them 
from the fruit. Mrs. S. H. Hine, of Indiana, 
a very careful observer of birds, declares that 
she has seen a downy woodpecker feeding on 
these larvae, extracting them from apples hang¬ 
ing on the tree. She has watched a downy 
woodpecker on a tree in her yard until it worked 
upon an apple within her reach, and then picked 
this apple and found that the young larva had 
begun to bore into the fruit, but had been ex¬ 
tracted by the woodpecker without injury to 
the fruit. Judge McBride, of Elkhart, Ind, a 
careful observer of birds, has declared that he 
had seen downy woodpeckers extracting the 
worms from young apples. A certain California 
observer states that the California and Lewis 
woodpecker, in certain localities, picked open 
the apples for the codling moth worms they 
contained. The red-shafted flicker is given 
credit for much work in killing codling worms, 
and so are a number of other important wood¬ 
peckers. Some flycatchers do yeomen’s work 
against this larva, catching not only the adult 
codling moth, but the larvie as well. The cod¬ 
ling moth is largely nocturnal in its habits, 
and the adult would, therefore, escape the at¬ 
tacks of most birds. 
Crows, blackbirds, orioles, sparrows, swal¬ 
lows, vireos and warblers all eat the moth or 
its larvae to some extent, but it is the creepers, 
nuthatches and titmice that are the most useful. 
Creepers and nuthatches are comparatively few 
in number, and while it is likely that they de¬ 
vour great numbers of these harmful insects, 
they probably are not nearly so effective as the 
titmice, which search every nook and cranny in 
bark and fence and patiently go over trees and 
fences and stumps looking for their food. 
Prof. Beal met a case where nestling birds 
had fed extensively on larvae of the codling 
moth, and his observations led him to the con¬ 
clusion that the parent birds went from their 
nesting site across a stream into a neglected 
orchard, where they foraged for food which 
they took back to their young ones. 
As already said, all entomologists agree that 
“by far the most efficient aids to man in con¬ 
trolling the codling moth are birds.” In Vir¬ 
ginia, where 400 cocoons were observed on apple 
trees in the autumn, it was found later that the 
birds had destroyed fully 85 per cent, of the 
worms. In New Hampshire similar observations 
showed 87 per cent, killed by birds, 4 per cent, 
by disease and 3 per cent, by cold. 
Whatever apples are harvested by the 
farmer in this country are literally owed to the 
birds. 
OFFERED TO MICHIGAN. 
Last month Mr. Hanson, a resident of Michi¬ 
gan, offered to present to the State of Michigan 
13.000 acres of land about Portage Lake, near 
the city of Grayling. This he offered as a mili¬ 
tary camp and maneuvering ground, to be handed 
over to the State free of cost. A sole condition 
is attached to the gift, according to private in¬ 
formation which reaches 11s. That is that no 
shooting of wild things shall be done on the 
property. In other words, Mr. Hanson proposes 
that besides a military camp and drill ground 
this large area shall be a game refuge. 
It is reported more recently that instead of 
being 13,000 acres, the gift covers a whole town¬ 
ship. 
Portage Lake lies three or four miles west 
of Grayling, Michigan, and is a beautiful body 
of water three or four miles long, and in some 
places more than a mile wide. The white pine 
has been cut from the land about it, but it is 
still, to some extent, covered with jack pine. It 
is traversed in all directions by logging roads; 
the Manistee River lies on the north and the 
Ausable on the east. Certain spots on the prop¬ 
erty are said to be 800 feet above the lake level. 
Portage Lake used to be a stopping place 
during the migration for many kinds of ducks 
and geese, and in earlier days was a breeding 
ground for the wildfowl which nested over much 
of Michigan. 
It will be for the Legislature to determine 
whether the State of Michigan shall accept this 
generous gift. Meantime, the tract offered by 
Mr. Hanson has been inspected by committees 
from the State militia, who will undoubtedly re¬ 
port fully on the subject. 
If Noah had used the chosen pair 
O’ worms that went in the ark, 
To fish through the window in the flood' 
From his somewhat crowded bark, 
And thus had used up the squirming stock 
In his own original way. 
How many a lie it had spared and saved 
To the fishermen of to-day. 
OUR CHRISTMAS NUMBER. 
So much above par material has come to 
hand, all of it with the atmosphere of Christmas 
about it, that we have decided to bring out a 
Christmas number. Dr. Edward Breck, than 
whom no one knows better the ways of the 
wood and the sentiments of its dwellers, promises 
something particularly good. 
We have thought of the many times we have 
been in a quandary over what to buy the boy 
for Christmas. This problem will be solved for 
you, and early enough to help you in your selec¬ 
tion this year, because the Christmas number 
will be published next Saturday, Dec. 7. Now 
that quarantine precludes foreign Christmas trees, 
it is fitting that a true story be told as to how 
the home-bred trees are harvested. Frank Far¬ 
rington, a delightful descriptive writer, has con¬ 
tributed a bully paper on this subject. “Christ¬ 
mas in ’65” is a historical romance by Fred A. 
Olds, whose charming writings are well known 
to Forest and Stream readers. “Getting a 
Christmas Turkey,” by Amos Burhans, tells of 
a wild turkey hunt on Island No. 10 on the 
Mississippi. The story teems with Burhansisms. 
There will be a lot of other good seasonable 
text with a wealth of illustrations. 
To Nature. 
BY ROBERT PAGE LINCOLN. 
I have been much in love with this enchanted day, 
For many scenes my mind hath reveled in— 
The blossoming fields—the woods that know no din. 
The open skies—the brook and the broad winding way; 
And much I’ve learned since morn did sweetly play 
Her symphonies of peace that make all souls akin. 
Yea, much I’ve learned nor hath intruding sin—• 
Festered my happy hours with memories cold and gray. 
Truth, joy and innocence—O happy comrades mine! 
With ye I’ve mused and wandered into night. 
While the lone shepherd sleep his long and patient wait 
Shall call ye back into the dawning light. 
Then, then to hear the murmuring steps of Fate- 
Die to forgetfulness in dreams of thee and thine. 
