Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 March 1892 — HOME TALENT ABROAD. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

HOME TALENT ABROAD.

SOME AMERICAN SONG BIRDS IN EUROPE. ■any of Our Finest Native Songsters, as Wall as Sundry of Our Birds of Showy Ftumage, Are Now Bomestlcated Across the Atlantic Ocean. Acclimatization of Birds. The fact that the common, mean, pugnacious and thievish sparrow, an immigrant from Europe, has of late years made itself so obnoxious as to occasion •lass legislation and a war of extermin-

ation, makes the question of bird importation and exportation, and especially that of domestication, timely and interesting. Eight here let it be stated that, with the single exception of the so-called English sparrow, no European bird that has found a second home in this country, has abused the hospitality shown it. And quite a number of transatlantic •ongsters and warblers have been imported during a decade or two. The great lovers and knowors of birds, the Germans, have especially distinguished themselves in systematic efforts at importing and then propagating a number of the most charming little song birds that render the forests and glades, the hedges and bushes of the fatherland so tuneful. Among these may be mentioned more particularly the nightingale and redbreast, the linnet and thrush, the llnoh and the lark and (he robin. Specimens of these may now be met with in the parks and gardens, or, as in the case of the lark, on the boundless prairies. It is true —though known to but comparatively few Americans —that a much K eater number of American birds have en exported of recent years to years to Europe. And it was likewise again -the country where birds are cherished and petted, and loved and praised the most in prose and song, in Germany, Where these little American strangers Wore received most kindly and domesticated most quickly. There are, it is true, a few varieties of American birds, among them our national favorite, the mooklngbird, that have become pets in thousands of European homes, in England and France as well as in Germany and in the Scandinavian north. But. these, as well as that magnificent little fellow, the cardinal grosbeak, popularly known across the water as the Virginia nightingale, are kept in cages, •nd hence never acquire citizens’ rights. There are other pretty American birds kept in captivity over there as well, •uah as the catbird, the Carolina parrot, the red-winged blackbird, the yellowhammer and the bobolink, the meadowlark and the bluejay and indigo finch. These are all valued more or less highly In Germany especially, either beoause of their melodious song, or else because

»f their brilliant plumage or their docility and cleverness at executing tricks. The most expensive of these caged American pets, the mockingbird, Is, hojv•ver, at the same time one of the hardilest of them, because very quickly acclimated and learns to mate and to rear young ones on foreign soil. Hence, too, the mockingbird is such a ■ general favorite with dealers and lovers of birds in the old country. With that this, bird is capable of learning new tabes all the time, and it therefore richly tepays the patience and attention required to teach it and to develop it into • first-class songster. The case is similar with that other European favorite, the cardinal grosbeak. They are in song from March to September, beginning at the first appearance of dawn and repeating a favorite stanza or musical passage twenty or thirty times successively. While their song, therefore, must be termed a little monotonous, these ex-

aaadfngly handsome bitcis more than Vure Sid * aStf** **

as well as by the bell-like clearness of their voioe. and the inexpensiveness of their board and lodging. But these American varieties, as well as some of the others mentioned, while affording pleasure to their keepers and owners, cannot be said to have acquired European citizenship.' It is quite likely that if they were given a chance to return to their old haunts in this country they would gladly forswear all allegiance to Emperor Wilhelm or Queen Victoria. It is different with some other American birds. The one man who has especially exerted himself in acclimatizing American birds of different species in Europe is Dr. Carl Buss of Germany, the greatest living ornithologist. And he pays the highest compliments to a large number of our birds, claiming that they are easy to acclimatize over there, and that because of several sterling qualities possessed by all of them they would make very valuable acquisitions to the list of European birds. As qualities of this kind he names the beauties of thoir plumage, their docility, intelligence, amiable disposition, th3ir song, and—most important of all —their expertness in destroying noxious insects, especially caterpillars and larvae. Dr. Buss mentions the fact that the exportation of American birds has of late diminished in number, due to laws prohibiting this which have gone into effect in a number of our States, and he expresses the fear that within a short time the importation of American birds

into Germany and other European countries may, on this account, cease altogether. All the moro does he rejoice that several thousands of the most valuable Amoricon birds have been brought into Germany last year by the large firm of C. Belche, in Alfeld, near Hanover, and that specimens of them—notably of the brilliant-tinted cardinal grosbeak and rose-breasted grosbeak, of the resplendent noupareil and of the purple finch—can now bo bought of all the bird dealers throughout Germany and Austria. A number of experiments have been made, in Germany as well as England, having in view the acclimatization and propagation in the open of some of the prettiest American bird 3. Baron von Cramm, a wealthy nobleman with a hobby for birds, thus succeeded in making several pairs of our American cardinal grosbeaks pass unharmed through the severe winter of 1890-91 on his estate near Brunswick. In the vicinity of Stettin, a city oven more northerly than Brunswick, a pair of the same birds escaped from their cage and managed to maintain themselves all through the same hard winter. Last spring they nested in a clump of tall pine trees and raised a healthy and independent brood of young Americans right there by the shores of the Baltic. Beports from several other parts of Germany are to the same effect—everywhere this hardy American traveler, nicknamed the American nightingale, managed to make himself at home and to perpetuate his species without any sort of artificial shelter. Similarly the mockingbird, its cousin, the catbird, the rose-breasted grosbeak

and the blue jay and purple finch, even the summer redbfijjj—although in the case of the latter a much more southern clime has been habitually its winter quarters—have been doing nicely in the open in different parts of Germany. Dr. Buss several years ago, during a popular lecture, advised the farmers of Germany to people their poplar trees with parrots. At the time he was ridiculed by everybody, but recent events have shown that his advice was not illoonsidered. For where the thing has been tried adequately since it has been found that parrots are the most valuable assistants of the farmer in exterminating noxious insects, provided they were supplied with good quarters. Lord Buxton, for instance, has bred on his estate in England a number of parrots, of all sorts and varieties, including Australian and Carolina ones, with the best possible results. They all did- remarkably well and raised families, excepting the North American ones —the so-called paroquets—although to all outward appearances the latter had been the strongest and had certainly been used to • more rigorous weather in their old home In the Carolinas than the Brazilian and East Indian parrots had been. On the other hand Baron H. von Beriepsch has kept for years a whole bevy of Carolina parrots on his estate of See bach, near Hanover, the birds roosting with the pigeons in the same cote and making their regular daily excursions on the

wing right along, even on daja when snow was lying deeply. As the one American bird of all others which Dr. Buss recommends for acclimatization in Germany, England and

other parts of Europe where the winters are not too severe, he mentions the mockingbird. "Not only is this one of the most highly prized singers,” he says,

“but this bird is also one of the mosi efficient, because one of the largest and most voracious destroyers of insects, henoo of great benefit to the agriculturist. This is also true of their nearest« relatives, especially the catbird, and of the blue jay, oriole and other insectfeeders. Even the two beautiful grosbeaks, the rose-breasted and the cardinal one, would be of vastly more benefit than injury to the farmer. They feed their young almost exclusively on insects, especially caterpillars and larva. Their prime value, of course, would consist in their being birds of decorative plums ge as well as songsters. The same might be said of the American thrushes, finches, etc. Both the American Indigo and purple finch would be of use to farmers around orchards. Their accession to the ianks of our native birds, therefore, would mean a distinct advantage.” A wealthy merchant of Hamburg, Melkers by name, has begun, since spring of last year, a series of acclimatizing experiments on a large scale, using mostly American birds for the purpose.

MEADOWLARK.

CARDINAL GROSBEAK.

STELLER'S JAY.

CAROLINA PARROT.

ORIOLES.

MOCKINGBIRD.