Proceedings of the Society. 131 



Dr. F. W. Langdon said : 



Mr. President— I'l is fully understood, I trust, tliat in the dis- 

 cussion on birds, which has occui)ied your attention for several 

 meetings past, only the kindliest personal feelings exist between 

 my ornithological friends and myself. Any criticisms of your Com- 

 mittee by myself are to be taken, of course, in strictly an official, 

 not a personal, sense. 



The discussion has been conducted purely in the interests 

 of the Cincinnati Society of Natural History, with a view to awaken- 

 ing public interest in the subject and in the. society. That it has 

 been a success in these respects, I think you are all aware. I beg 

 leave to object to the adoption of the final report of your Com- 

 mittee as read to-night, on the following grounds: 



First — That it entirely evades the main c[uestion at issue, viz,, 

 "the destruction of North American song birds for millinery pur- 

 poses." 



Secondly — It inferentially supports the proposition that "song 

 birds" are habitually and commonly used for food, when such is 

 the case in only limited localities. 



Piiirdly — It inferentially expresses the opinion that sportmen's 

 clubs and "Audubon Societies" are ^'•entirely''' opposed to the de- 

 struction of native birds, which is notoriously not the case. 



P'ourtldy — It aims at the impracticable when it seeks to -create 

 a "public sentiment entirely opposed to the destruction of our 

 native birds." This would be a death blow to the progress of 

 ornithological science; would conflict with the interests of all 

 sportsmen and si)ortsmen's clubs; draws no distinction between 

 desirable and undesirable birds, and would be as irrational as to 

 entirely oppose the destruction of mammals, reptiles, fishes or 

 plants. 



Fifthly — While the report of your Committee states as a self- 

 evident fact that water and game birds have markedly decreased 

 over wide areas, it ignores the undoubted increase over those same 

 areas of the smaller and more useful species to man, viz. : song 

 birds and insectivorous species generally. 



Sixthly —^\\it report of your Committee, viewing the subject 

 from one side only, arraigns man for his destruction of birds, while 

 it fails entirely to give him any credit for his constructive influence, 

 which has been repeatedly emphasized in the course of the dis- 

 cussion. 



