Papers on the Destniction of Native Birds. 177 



no more injure a bird than I could hurt a child. No woman would 

 if she knew it. 



"The family life of most birds is a lesson to men and women 

 But how few people have had the priviledge of watching that sweet 

 life; of knowing how precious and sacred it is, how the little 

 beings guard their nests with almost human wisdom, and cherish 

 their young with faithlul, careful, self-sacrificing love. If women 

 only knew these things, there is not one in the length and breadth 

 of the land, I am happy to believe, who would be cruel enough to 

 encourage this massacre of the innocents by wearing any precious 

 rifled plume of tlieirs upon her person. In New York one firm had 

 on hand February i, 1886, two hundred thousand skins. The 

 supply is not limited by domestic consumption; American bird 

 skins are sent abroad ; one New York firm had a contract to sup- 

 ply forty thousand skins of American birds to one Paris firm." 



As to the pleasure derived from the presence of birds, John 

 James Audubon fitly expressed the sentiments of thousands of peo- 

 ple when he said : "• The moment a bird was dead, however beau- 

 tiful it had been in life, the pleasure derived from the possession of 

 it became blunted." 



There is a pleasure derived from the song of the birds, an ed- 

 ucation resulting from their fellowship, that makes their living 

 presence greatly to be desired. These facts, and their utility when 

 alive to the agriculturist, turn the scale greatly in favor of their 

 protection and preservation. 



How shall we accomplish this ? I answer : By influencing 

 public opinion and sentiment. The people have hearts; they have 

 common sense and a love of the beautiful, and can appreciate the 

 appeal. 



Celia Thaxter is right when she says : " Evil is wrought from 

 want of thought." The women of this city and of our country 

 must combine their efforts along with those of the men, to stop the 

 demand for birds' heads and bodies, by leaving off wearing the 

 same, and by discouraging the use of the same by others. 



As soon as the demand stops the killing will stop, as it is 

 money paid to the shooters and trappers that causes them to take 

 these birds and engage in this wholesale destruction of bird life. 

 All wanton destruction of bird life should be frowned upon. We 

 have a State law that prohibits the killing of many of our song and 

 insectiverous birds, but we need the law to be enforced by pub- 

 lic opinion. Above all, let the purchase of the birds' heads, 



