The Congregationalist

MISCELLANEOUS

From the Cultivator.

A BIRD STORY.

Friend Buell,-I would not have ventured to forward the following statement, were it not that the narrator of it, Edward Hallock, of the firm of Wm. Hallock and Brother, of Milton, Ulster Co., is known to thee, and known to be of unquestionable veracity. I have heard him before express his conviction, that if birds were protected and cherished, by farmers and others, we should never be subjected to the loss of corn or other crops by grubs ; and that obnoxious insects would be sensibly diminished. There is a small kind of bird, (the males nearly black, the females brown,) that is noted for being around and following cattle in the field, as in the case I am about to detail. Mr. H. says, "on the 26th of the present month, I was plowing for turnips, myself with one team, my son with another ; and observing that we were followed by a flock of the above little birds, I took it into my head to notice their motions, to ascertain what was the attraction, when I perceived that their object was grubs. We plowed up plenty of a small white, and large brown or gray grub ; as well as some in a chrysalis state, and angle worms all of them, excepting the angle worm, appeared to be acceptable to them, and as the sequel will show, they are capable of devouring large quantities. I should think that one would make way with at least 100 per day. I cautioned my son against making any motion towards noticing them, in any way to intimidate them ; as I found they grew more and more bold in their honest avocation, and as the land diminished in width they would remain in the opposite furrow, when not more than three or four feet distant. At length my son spoke cautiously, and said there was one on his plow beam. I then stopped the teams and told the boy to pick up a grub and throw it to the bird that had distinguished itself for its tameness. He did so ; and the bird immediately seized it. Encouraged by this, I told him to pick out the next white one and hold it out in his fingers near the ground; crawling down, he did so. and the bird came and picked it out of his fingers ! Afterwards he stood up and held out one, and the bird lighted on his hand and picked out the worm. This was repeated until it lighted on my own hand ; I raised it up and applied my cheek to its wing without frightening it away. The next day he was not slow in finding us, and practised the same familiarity, in presence of James Sherman, William Hallock, and others of the neighbors; it came into the cornfield where the boys were weeding corn, and actually, without any special attraction, it continued these visits until one of the boys in an adjoining field could not repress his inclination to seize and hold it. This made him more wary, but he gradually recovered his confidence." I communicate these facts in the hope that they may contribute to produce an examination into the subject, of how far it would tend to the agricultural interests, to fall upon some method to tame and familiarize small birds, instead of frightening, maiming, or destroying them.

E. HULL.