Deere Anse BOING BU iG Es Tol N nal 
up the grain. On fortunate occasions in the summer one may note under 
the dining room window the well rounded out medley of quail, mourning 
dove, blue jay, brown thrasher, red-bellied and red-headed woodpecker, 
eardinal and others feeding harmoniously, without the usual bickering’ of 
jealousy. 
And yet the human appeal of presence, color and song of wild birds 
is not the only reward for their protection here. Intangibles are not 
measurable like economic beneficence. We were, however, permitted realistic 
glimpses into the practical side of bird protection and saw many species of 
the so-called “undesirables” at work as a well-guided ecological force within 
constructive channels, a force instinctively held to an unexpected task. This 
happened so unmistakably as to cause the observer to here chronicle the 
general facts. Silent Waters, with its fine groves and woodlands, became 
the target for a concentration of the seventeen-year locust (Magicicada 
septendecim) in the spring of 1939. The combined chorus of the invaders, 
a coarse simulation of our resident peepers, called attention to their 
presence in the grove adjacent to the large lagoon. Ample spraying facilities, 
A “Silent Waters” Pastoral. Grove in left background and center 
was scene of locust concentration. 
if such should be needed, were at hand, but not enough was known about 
the methods and food habits of this periodic visitor to warrant action at 
this time, since the cost of labor and material would mount into consider- 
able sums. Hence resort was taken to close observation and frequent checks. 
Almost from the outset there was noted an unusual flash of wings, of 
aerial activity, the coming and going of many birds. The locust arrival 
coincided with the feeding of the early nestlings and provided the parent 
birds an easy food at a time of greatest stress. Hence the presence of 
