Papers on the Destniction of Native Birds, 2 1 7 



species, too, that are the most common, well known and useful of 

 our native birds. It was not at all uncommon to see here in New 

 York last winter from three to a dozen small birds, such as Warblers, 

 Kinglets, Sparrows, Bluebirds, etc., on a single hat, either entire 

 or represented by heads and wings. A dozen kinglets have been 

 reported to me as seen on a single hat. And day after day in lid- 

 ing in cars here I noted six and eight birds to a hat, or at least the 

 wings of that number, and sometimes heads and wings representing 

 a dozen song-birds. The statistics we give in 'Science' go but a 

 short way to adequately set forth what we know to be the real state 

 of the case in regard to the destruction of song-birds. In haste. 

 Sincerely Yours, J. A. Allen." 



The position taken that, upon the assumption of certain large 

 numbers of birds still present in our country, no danger exists that 

 many of the valuable and useful species will become practically 

 extinct, can not be maintained in the face of the facts found in 

 New Jersey. In that State the wholesale destruction of bird life 

 was carried on until, as Hon. John W. Griggs, President of the 

 New Jersey Senate, says : 



"The complaint came up from all parts of the State, of the 

 decrease in the number of song and shore birds. Representation 

 was made to me that certain persons had contracts to furnish birds 

 by the thousands to taxidermists in Philadelphia and NcA'York, 

 and that they propose to gather their skins in New Jersey. The 

 bill introduced into our legislature for the protection of the birds, 

 passed with only one negative vote, and the effect in my own 

 locality (Patterson) has been excellent." 



This corroborates the position that the machinery for collect- 

 ing bird-millinery having to a great extent exhausted the stock of 

 coast birds would next gather in our other birds. 



As bearing directly upon the main features of this discussion, 

 I here take the liberty of reading to you a letter from Prof. C. Hart 

 Merriam, M. D., in charge of the Division of Economic Ornithol- 

 ogy, of the United States Department of Agriculture, viz.: 



"U. S. Department of Agriculture. 



Washington, D. C, June 11, 1886." 

 " Wm. Hubbell Fisher, Esq., 



Cincinnati, Ohio. 

 Dear Sir : 



I am much surprised to learn from your letter and 

 enclosed clipping of the 8th inst,, that so good a man as Dr. Lang- 



