Papers on the Destruction of Native Birds. 173 



the Eastern part of the United States, has there become a thing of 

 the past. So has the wild turkey, and to a great extent the wild 

 pigeon. The vast number of ducks and waders, the snipe and the 

 plover, have been perceptibly lessened. The great northern mi- 

 gration of most of these birds takes place through the central part 

 of the United States, in the path of the Mississippi and her tribu- 

 taries, and the great lakes, and occurs in the spring time. 



At that time the birds are usually thin and poor, and are not 

 very desirable for food. They are going north to breed, and the 

 destruction of each pair then means the destruction of not only 

 that pair, but another pair, and often several more pairs of birds 

 which would follow the spring and summer hatch. 



I am glad to notice that the new Ontario (Canada) game law 

 forbids the killing of ducks and other water fowl between January 

 istand September ist; also snipe, rail and golden plover between 

 January ist and Sei)tember ist. It is is also pleasant to chronicle 

 that the game clubs of the Central United States are moving in the 

 direction of prohibiting si)ring shooting. Right here let me call 

 your attention to a most ancient and interesting game law. 



The law of Moses provides that every seventh year the land 

 should have rest and what grew in that year was for the game. 

 The inference is clear that the game was that year to be unmolested. 

 [See Exodus 23, 11 ; Leviticus 25, 7.] 



Michaelis, volume 2, page 419, says: " It is the command of 

 Moses [Deut. 22, 6, 7,] that if a person find a bird's nest in the 

 way, whether in a tree or on the ground, though he may take the 

 eggs or the young, he shall not take the mother, but always allow 

 her to escape. It is clear that he here speaks not of those which 

 nestle upon people's property. * * * He merely enjoins what 

 one has to do on finding such nests on the way, that is without 

 one's property, thus guarding against the utter extinction or too 

 great diminution of any species of birds indigenous to the country." 



Many readers may think it strange that Moses should be rep- 

 resented as providing for the preservation of noxious birds; yet, in 

 fact, nothing can be more conformable to legislative wisdom. To 

 extirpate, or even to persecute, to too great an extent, any species 

 of birds, from an idea of its being hostile to the interests of the 

 inhabitants, is a measure of doubtful policy. It ought, in general, 

 to be considered as a part of nature's bounty, bestowed for some 

 important purpose ; but what that is we certainly discover too late 

 when it has been extirpated and the evil consequences of that 



