40 Wild Bird Guests 



supply that market. Then he may become a 

 very dangerous enemy of the birds. When he 

 has supplied his own needs, his work is not done; 

 it is never done; he has those big markets to 

 supply, and the more birds he kills the more he 

 will be paid for, so it is to his advantage to kill 

 all he can. And he goes on killing until there 

 are no more birds to kill, or, until for some reason 

 there is no more demand for them and therefore 

 it no longer pays him to kill them. The head- 

 hunting natives of Borneo and other islands 

 of the same group have hunted and killed the 

 wonderful birds of paradise to supply feathers for 

 women's hats until some species are extinct and 

 all others in danger of extinction. 



But as destroyers of bird life civilized men are 

 infinitely more dangerous than savages. Their 

 most peaceful activities mean serious interference 

 with the birds. They begin to clear the land of 

 the forests growing upon it and the homes of 

 millions of birds go down before the axe. They 

 drain the marshes and vast numbers of other 

 birds are not only driven out of their homes, but 

 are deprived of their favorite feeding grounds. 

 They erect lighthouses which every year lure 

 thousands of birds to their destruction. The 

 light on the Statue of Liberty in New York 

 Harbor has been responsible for great loss of bird 



