PROTECTION OF SONG BIRDS. 345 



Mrs. Hudson : I would like to tell of a little incident that 

 came under my observation of a little boy who was a regular little 

 missionary. One day another boy had a sling shot and insisted on 

 throwing stones at the birds. This little boy talked to him, but he 

 could not induce him to desist. Finally every time the other boy 

 aimed at a bird this little boy would strike his elbow. He did that 

 several times, but all this time he was earnestly talking to the boy 

 with the sling shot. Finally the boy became interested and dropped 

 his sling shot, and it was not very long before we had that boy work- 

 ing in our society. It is just in such ways we have got to meet 

 children. You have got to interest the women and boys personally. 



Mrs. Ida B Thompson: We have just organized a bird society 

 in Duluth, .and I would just like to ask whether it is a good plan 

 to exterminate one kind of birds to support another, as the plan is 

 carried out in exterminating the sparrow. Children will not learn 

 to discriminate. Is it wise to tell a boy that he may shoot a sparrow 

 but he must leave the wren? Is it possible to teach him to dis- 

 criminate ? 



Mrs. Hudson : I do not believe I would put the matter into 

 the hands of the small boy. I do not believe in letting the boy kill 

 sparrows. They cannot tell the English sparrow from other spar- 

 rows, unless they are exceptionally familiar with tirds. and I would 

 not say that the small boy should be permitted to take that matter 

 in his hands. There are enough grown people interested to take 

 up that work. 



Mr. J. S. Parks : I think it is perfectly proper to teach the 

 boy to discriminate between the birds that are good and bad. I think 

 it is feasible to do so ; we are trying to teach a cat to discriminate, 

 and she is learning fast. 



Prof. Hansen : The question of birds is one that bears an econ- 

 omic aspect. In France and portions of Europe they have found it 

 very necessary to distinguish between injurious and beneficial birds. 

 They teach it by means of charts and in other ways. I am very 

 glad to hear that the Audubon Society of Minnesota has made a 

 good beginning in that work. It has been found in France and 

 other parts of Europe that when the laws for the protection of birds 

 were repealed there was such an increase of injurious insects that 

 they had to pass those laws again. There is a very intimate re- 

 lation between the decrease of birds and the increase of injurious 

 insects, more than most people appreciate. 



Mr. Harrison : How do they treat the English sparrow in 

 Europe ? 



Prof. Hansen : By the demands of nature and the enemies 

 which follow it, its numbers are gradually decreased. It will have 

 more enemies in America after a time. Sometimes a weed will come 

 from the old world in the same way, but it is gradually eradicated 

 or held in check. 



Mrs. Stager : I remember when the first sparrows were brought 

 from England to New York. The last time I was back there they 

 told me they had almost destroyed their other birds. It is something 

 like the rabbits in Australia. I think something must be done with 

 the English sparrow. In our neighborhood there are fewer birds 



