56 FISH AND GAME. 



GAME BIRDS. 



Only recently has the public begun to realize the existing 

 danger to and the rapidly increasing importance of the main- 

 tenance of its wild life. Agriculturists now appreciate the 

 enormous tax placed upon their productive activities as a 

 result of the subnormal population of birds. People are awak- 

 ening to the fact that the decrease of birds brings an increased 

 tax upon all food products, for the reason that the farmer is 

 obliged to use artificial methods to accomplish the work for- 

 merly done without expense by the birds. In addition, the 

 cost of living is increased by fa) the unnecessary destruction 

 of timber and shade trees by such injurious insects as were 

 formerly controlled by woodpeckers, nuthatches and titmice; 

 (6) the productive capacity of a community is diminished by 

 the spread of diseases, notably malaria, such as are transmitted 

 by certain insects, which were formerly kept under control by 

 the myriads of small birds; and (c) more recently and directly 

 by the vast sums of money which the New England States and 

 Congress are obliged to spend for the suppression of the gypsy 

 and brown-tail moths, which in Europe are kept under control by 

 natural checks, such as disease and parasites, and particularly 

 by pheasants, quail, partridges, cuckoos and other birds. 



A normally large population of birds is not inconsistent with 

 a dense human population, as is evidenced by the conditions 

 in England, Germany, China and other countries, where a far 

 larger bird population exists than in Massachusetts. In those 

 countries every farm, every garden plot and house lot is de- 

 veloped as a place upon which birds may safely rear their 

 young. Suitable and secure nesting places are provided, as 

 well as abundant and attractive food, and particularly freedom 

 from intrusion, either of idle human curiosity or of special 

 enemies, such as cats, dogs, foxes, rats and squirrels. Un- 

 fortunately, under conditions which obtain in civilized coun- 

 tries, through human interference with nature's equilibrium, 

 these enemies tend to increase abnormally, with the resultant 

 diminution of bird life. 



The children of the community should be the natural guard- 

 ians of the birds, and must be trained in the home and in the 



