Salt Lake Tribune | 1907-07-21 | Page 12 | Millions of Birds Battle with Billions of Locusts

MILLIONS OF BIRDS BATTLE W8TH BiLIJOJOrOLJblJ i Tho second groat battlo has boen fought at Hop Hollow, north of Alton, 111., and noar the Mississippi river, and millions of locusts havo perished before tho greatest bird army ever assembled, and tho wild songbirds ami othor forest dwellnrs that survived the first great coulliot with the insects thrco weeks ago havo regained their wood ana homes. The great floor of tho forest battlefield is strewn with tho insect onomy exterminated in a siuglo any. Farmers aav that tho Jinttlo was gon-uino gon-uino and no talc of a nature faker. Two months ago millions of locusts, known as tho soventoen-ycar variety, settled iu Hop Hollow and took possession posses-sion of the'foroHt. In a brittle that lasted last-ed for two weeks most of tho forest songsters wore annihilated, and tho survivors sur-vivors hastened to neighboring woods to mint'oreo their shattered forces. Almost Al-most a week wns roquirud for the vast multitude of feathered warriors to assemble as-semble from distant forests, glades and dales. The sparrows 'desertod tho city strccts and winged hastily to the scono of battle. Every day great troops ot bird warriors would arrive and quarter themselves in neighboring hollows to await tho groat battlo da'. Tho vigilant vigi-lant buzzards, loatiuc easily at dizzy mnnd "cSt tho fathered warriors. Tho red sun aPP0"0 before tho review tho PW0dmSnd of !tbo rod battle. Tho shrill commautt ol cardinal could hctl0 a rod crestod SSS2 or &$$Z th0 bwS tho battlo call wr sounded tj great bird army, clad n.frnfc1h60,1Srogo fell shrieking to the ground. But the b?rds were countless , m nam bcrs nnd thoy made groat gaping holes in tho ranks of tho insects. At .night tho bright stars lighted i tho forest bat-tlefiold bat-tlefiold and the conflict did not , ondnn til evorv insect in tho hollow was crushed lifeless. Tho birds which form-orlv form-orlv had their homes in Hop Hollow are rebuilding their nests and restoring tne forosts to its natural beaut'.