io6 WITH THE U. S. NATURALISTS 



ing-birds, Orioles, Thrushes and similar song- 

 birds 1 That they hang around these nets a num- 

 ber of cages containing imprisoned song-birds 

 whose eyes have been burned out with a hot wire 

 because blind and suffering birds call of tener than 

 those who see — " 



Bull Adam started up. 



"Ain't no one put a hot iron in their eyes?" he 

 thundered. 



"That catches you, does it I" said the game offi- 

 cial. "I thought you had red blood in your veins 

 if you were probed deep enough. But they're do- 

 ing it. Bull Adam, doing it all the time. Eobins, 

 Goldfinches, Warblers — every kind of tiny song- 

 bird they call 'game' and there are scores of men 

 who do nothing else but snare these little birds and 

 sell them in the Italian districts." 



"I'd stamp on 'em like I would on a tarant'ler 

 or a stingin' spider!" declared the woodsman, 

 hotly. 



"You think game laws are all right for them! 

 But they haven 't any more use for a game warden 

 than you have. An Italian song-bird poacher 

 fired both barrels of his shot-gun into a game 

 warden the other day, near Boston, because he 

 was threatened with arrest. He thought the 4and 



