The Act of May 3, 1873, ought, it seems, to afford all the protection 

 to birds that is needed, but that it has so far failed to accomplish this 

 object satisfactorily cannot be denied by any one who has taken the 

 trouble to look into the matter. The fault does not appear to be so 

 much in the law as in the parties most interested. Very many of 

 our farmers and orchardists not only take little or no interest in car- 

 rying out the law but are in fact opposed to it, being ignorant of 

 what is their own interest. 



But here, as in reference to education, our legislators and officers 

 should endeavor to carry out those measures which will ultimately 

 be for the benefit of our people, notwithstanding their apathy in re- 

 gard to them. 



I learn, although I have not seen the official statement, that in one 

 or two of the Continental countries (as France) the destruction of 

 birds for commercial purposes has resulted in such a manifest increase 

 of injurious insects, that the Commissioner of Agriculture has called 

 upon the officers of the various provinces to enforce the protection of 

 the birds. 



At the conference above referred to, this subject was discussed, and 

 while there were differences of opinion with respect to certain species, 

 yet the conclusion was unanimous and emphatic that all those species 

 known to be beneficial should be carefully protected and their increase 

 promoted so far as possible. That proper discrimination in this mat- 

 ter is necessary cannot be doubted, and neglect to appreciate this has 

 been one great cause of the apathy and want of faith manifested in 

 reference to it. 



The conference fully aware of this tact, with the assistance of Prof. 

 Forbes — who had been studying our birds for the purpose of reporting 

 at our meeting — made out a list of such species as are positively 

 known to be insect-eaters and beneficial. 



In order to render our law on this subject as nearly perfect as our 

 present knowledge will admit of, and if possible to cause its enforce- 

 ment. I would suggest the following amendments to the Act of May 

 3, 1873, entitled "Game" in Chap, (il of the Revised Statutes of 1874. 



In Bection :'>, strike out all between the word ''kill" in the second 

 line and the words "nor rob" in the sixth line and insert in lieu 

 thereof the following : "trap, net, ensnare or destroy or attempt to kill, 

 trap. net. ensnare or destroy any small birds or any native or wild 

 bird not elsewhere in this act specified — except the Cedar bird, Bal- 

 timore < triole, Larger Owls, Hawks and Woodpecker usually known 

 as the Sap-sucker. 



In the same section insert after the word "fined" in the eighth line 

 the words, "tor every such offense the sum of five dollars and in addi- 

 tion thereto.'' 



In the next to the last line of said section strike out the words 

 •when deemed necessary for the protection of" and insert in lieu 

 thereof the words "if detected in the act of injuring or destroying." 



It would also probably aid in enforcing the law, to provide that 

 one-half of the amount recovered in any penal action should go to the 

 informer. 



In order to render my work immediately beneficial to as many Ag- 



