288 Bird - Lore 



We stand for the rights of our fellow citizens, the wild birds and animals, 

 and demand just and uniform laws for their protection, and also their rigid 

 enforcement. 



We stand for the principle of non-political appointments in the office of Game 

 Commissioner, and recommend that such offices shall be filled by scientific 

 experts who alone are capable of securing the best and most lasting results. 



We stand for civil service in the appointment of game wardens; they should 

 pass a satisfactory examination showing fitness for the position, and should 

 be continued in office during good behavior. 



We emphatically stand for the abolition of spring shooting of any kind, on 

 the ground that the practice is wasteful and is the reason for the rapid decrease 

 of many species of birds. 



We recommend very short open seasons for hunting and a small bag 

 limit. We urge that, when satisfactory scientific evidence is presented that 

 any species of game bird is in danger of extermination, laws be enacted 

 making a close season for the said species, in order that recuperation may 

 take place. 



We urge the passage of laws providing for gun licenses, in order to curtail 

 as much as possible hunting by irresponsible persons, and also to provide ready 

 means of identification of hunters who violate bird and game laws or commit 

 trespass on posted lands. 



We also urge such laws for the purpose of providing funds for protection 

 and propagation of game, and to render unnecessary the levying of taxes for 

 such objects. 



We urge the passage of laws prohibiting the cold storage of game of any kind. 



We urge Federal protection for all migratory birds, for the reason that it is 

 practically impossible to secure uniform State laws in time to prevent the disap- 

 pearance of several species of birds that are now known to be on the verge of 

 extinction. 



We urge the enlargement of the Biological Survey, on the ground that the 

 statistics and information relative to birds and animals furnished by this Bureau 

 of the Department of Agriculture is absolutely necessary for the farmers of the 

 country. The educational work of this Association would be seriously handi- 

 capped were the scientific investigations of the Biological Survey to cease. This 

 Association has no criticism to offer regarding the amount of public funds 

 expended for the protection of the country against possible foreign attacks, but 

 it believes that a more liberal appropriation for the Biological Survey would be 

 a wise investment. The meager sum now appropriated annually, some $60,000, 

 is exactly the amount which it costs to manufacture one 12-inch, 45 caliber, 

 nickel-steel gun. The cost of firing this gun one time is $220 for powder and $190 

 for a battle shell. The $60,000 expended for the Biological Survey furnishes 

 information regarding the economic value of birds which saves millions of dollars 

 annually to agriculture and forestry. We, therefore, respectfully but emphatically 



