to reproduce as fast as it can and then abandoning the kittens hy the roadside 

 to die a miserable death or to revert to a semi-wild condition at the expense 

 of native birds and mammals. Where there are summer cottages these semi' 

 wild cats are common, the kittens having been brought in as pets at the 

 beginning of the vacation season and abandoned at its close. So serious is this 

 condition that at least one state has passed a law making it a punishable of' 

 fense to abandon a cat. 



Another marked case of over-protection is that of the house wren. Fully 

 ninety per cent of the bird boxes put up are designed for or used by wrens. 

 This innocent'looking little bird forestalls competition by visiting the nests 

 of other birds within a wide area and puncturing their eggs. The house 

 sparrow receives the blame but, even if this action of the wren had not been 

 repeatedly observed and reported in bird magazines, an inspection of the 

 punctures and of the beaks of wren and sparrow would exonerate the latter 

 of that particular crime. 



The house sparrow and the starling are both examples of unfortunate 

 introductions that have increased the competition for our native birds. The 

 carp is another exotic of doubtful value, unless the introducers anticipated 

 the extreme pollution of our rivers to the point where only an extremely 

 hardy fish could survive. 



Our National Parks have set excellent examples of what can be done 

 to protect and tame our wild animals, but these parks should not be their 

 only refuge. It is perhaps encouraging to note that almost all our errors in 

 deahng with wild life have been due to ignorance rather than to willful action. 

 It is sincerely hoped that interest in and know-ledge of animals will steadily 

 increase, and that sensible conservation measures, well supported by an informed 

 public, may be generally adopted. 



GENERAL OUTLINE OF CLASSIFICATION OF NATIVE LAND 

 AND FRESH-WATER ANIMALS 



Invertebrates 



Phylum PROTOZOA 



One-celled or with somatic cells all of the same type grouped into 

 colonies 



Phylum PORIFERA 



Usually colonial; body wall with a simple or complex arrangement 

 of canals between a central or gastral cavity and the outside; two 

 cellular body layers present, with a middle, undifferentiated layer 

 containing skeletal fibers or spicules 



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