86 NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
From CHARLES F. BATCHELDER, Cambridge, Mass.:—‘‘ Causes of 
bird destruction :—Cheap firearms in the hands of small boys, and of 
Germans, and Italians (especially), of the lower classes, azded by an almost 
total non-enforcement of the laws for the protection of small birds.’ 
From JAMES M. SOUTHWICK, Providence, R. I.:—‘‘ There is a gang of 
Italians in Providence who gather for food everything that has feathers or 
fur.’’ . . . Messrs. John and Thomas Flanagan, who frequently visit their 
homestead at Greenwich, R. I., ‘‘report that Italians are scouring the 
country, particularly on Sundays. . . . One chap coming down a tree had 
four unfeathered crows. He could not speak English, but when made to 
understand [a question], pointed down his own mouth to indicate what he 
would do with them.”’ 
From WILLIAM OSBORN, Nashville, Tenn.:—‘‘ Hunters destroy’ doves, 
bob-whites and robins.”’ 
From E. E. BREWSTER, Iron Mountain, Mich.:—‘‘ The Italians are great 
offenders against bird life. . . . I met one of them out with a gun who had 
four brown thrashers in his pocket.’’ 
From PrRoF. H. NEHRLING, Milwaukee, Wis.:—‘‘ One main cause of the 
fearful decrease of our small migratory birds must be looked for in our 
Southern States. There, millions of all kinds of birds are killed to satisfy the 
palate of the gourmand. I shall give only one example. In the French 
Market of New Orleans, immense piles of birds are offered for sale. The 
lover of birds who has an opportunity of spending the fall and winter in the 
Southern States, and sees these hundreds and thousands of dead bodies, is 
surprised that there are still so many birds left. The negroes, Italians and 
French Creoles are especially responsible for this wholesale slaughter. 
There is scarcely a hotel in New Orleans where small birds do not form an 
item on the bill of fare. At certain seasons the robin, wood thrush, 
thrasher, olive-backed thrush, hermit thrush, chewink, flicker, and many of 
our beautiful sparrows form the bulk of these victims ; but cat-birds, cardinals 
and almost all small birds, even swallows, can be found in the markets.”’ 
From ANDREW ALLISON, New Orleans :—‘‘In the fall migrations, when 
all the migrants are literal butter-balls, appalling numbers of cat-birds, 
wood thrushes, red-eyed vireos, king birds, tanagers, and in fact any 
easily-shot birds are killed by the Creoles, or ‘Gizis’ that settle the 
country near the coast towns. Wood thrushes and cat-birds are more per- 
secuted than any other, under the name of gvassé, and many are sent to the 
markets here in September and October. . . . Green, little blue and yellow- 
crowned night herons are eagerly sought after by the same class of people. 
. Sandpipers, especially ‘grass snipe,’ or pectorals, are in demand, 
and every kind seen is killed. Bartram’s sandpipers have decreased in 
this locality, so have killdeers,—for what is said about sandpipers will apply 
equally well to plovers.”’ 
From J. F. ILLINGWorRTH, Claremont, Cal.:—‘‘)Sturnella neglecta | West- 
ern meadow lark] is getting scarce, because it is shot as a game bird.” 
In this country there are hundreds of hotels and restaurants 
wherein the serving of choice game is as much a point of honor 
