MAN AS AN ENEMY OF BIRDS 163 



in the United States who are interested in the pur- 

 suit of game. In the year 1911, hunting Hcenses 

 were issued to 2,642,000 gunners in the United 

 States. Besides these there is another great army 

 of gunners who hunt contrary to law and without 

 licenses, which is believed to be equally as large as 

 the number of licensed hunters. This makes five 

 million gunners, an army comparable to those en- 

 gaged in the great European conflict. And this vast 

 horde, averaging about one person to every three 

 voters, marches forth each year for the "sport of 

 killing," deliberately bent on destroying bird life. 

 There is little wonder that our game-birds are fast 

 disappearing. 



The improvements that have been made in fire- 

 arms render shooting much more deadly than form- 

 erly to bird life. The pump and automatic guns 

 are really machine guns which allow five or six shots 

 to be fired in as many seconds. The annual output 

 of these guns is over one hundred thousand. 



It is easy to understand that the annual slaughter 

 by gunners armed with such weapons is enormous. 

 A few examples will be given to show what devas- 

 tation is possible with these modern weapons, which 

 give the birds little if any chance of escape. 



On Marsh Island, Louisiana, one man killed 369 

 ducks in one day and another market hunter killed 

 430. Two hunters in California killed 218 geese in 

 one hour and 450 in one day. One case is recorded 



