66 Wild Bird Guests 



bounty be paid by the state for every hawk 

 killed. 



The foreigners who come to our shores from 

 countries where people are not taught to respect 

 the rights of birds, are another great menace 

 to our feathered neighbors, especially to the song 

 birds. The lower classes of Italians are among 

 the worst of these offenders, and it will help 

 us to understand the problem if we glance at 

 conditions in their own country. In Italy not 

 even song birds are protected. In addition to 

 what we call game birds, thrushes, skylarks, 

 goldfinches, redstarts, siskins, crossbills, wood- 

 peckers, nuthatches, titmice, warblers, and scores 

 of others, are regarded as "game" and are sold 

 for food in every market in Italy. As shown 

 in the case of birds hunted for their plumage, 

 wherever there is a market to be supplied, there 

 will be people willing to supply it, and through- 

 out Italy there are thousands of men who do 

 nothing else but catch and kill song birds to be 

 eaten by their fellow-countrymen. Thousands 

 and tens of thousands are offered at from two 

 cents to five cents apiece threaded on strings and 

 sold in bunches as we sell beets or onions. Most 

 of these birds are brought in by professional bird- 

 catchers. Some of them are shot, some taken 

 with snares or bird lime, but probably by far the 



