*^ EDITORIAL te* 



The Secretary of Agriculture has recently issued an or- 

 der permitting the shooting of meadow larks by certain per- 

 sons in South Carolina "when the birds are committing, or 

 about to commit, serious injury to sprouting grains." Pro- 

 vision is made, however, that the birds must not be shot half 

 an hour before sunrise or half an hour before sunset. To the 

 editor of this magazine, who is not especially interested in the 

 slaughter of insectivorous birds, ,the new order is a bit puz- 

 zling. If meadow larks are reallv harmful, why protect them 

 in their breeding grounds? Think what a lot of trouble and 

 expense it makes for the South Carolinians! Not only are 

 they put to great expense for powder, shot and guns, but they 

 must also spend a lot of time chasing around with a heavy 

 gun when they might be raising cotton. We are also anxious 

 to know how the South Carolinian knows when a meadow lark 

 is "about to commit" a crime. Do they shoot him on sus- 

 picion and liold an inquest afterwards, or do they really have 

 some way of finding out what a bird is thinking about that is 

 denied the rest of us? Possibly the birds are unable to en- 

 tirely conceal a wicked gleam in their eyes when they are med- 

 itating mischief. And we would like to know, also, if there 

 are any other offenses in South Carolina for which a bird 

 may be shot at sunrise but which he is protected in commit- 

 ting half an hour before. Only a short time ago, the bobolink 

 was put in the criminal class in the South and we predict that 

 the robin's turn will come soon. These latter birds are some- 

 times said to get drunk on china-berries ; why not shoot them 

 at sunrise for ignoring the "dry" law? But returning to the 



