hlundei-, auil oue whicli liiis boeii I lit- iudiiect ciiiist' of 

 verv cousideiable loss lo lla- agiiiiiltural inteiests ot 

 our Commonwealth. 



DON'T ADVOCATE UNWISE BOUNTY ACTS. 



During the past ten or twelve jears a large uumbei 

 of our citizens have urged Pennsjlvania's lawmakers 

 to enact bounty or scalp acts, whereby premiums 

 could be given for the destruction of different kinds of 

 birds and other animals, which it was very generally 

 supposed subsisted almost wholly on poultry and game 

 of different varieties. Acts of Assembly in this direc- 

 tion were passed and it was soon demonstrated after 

 they were in active operation, that the loss occasioned 

 by the killing of beneficial animals was much more 

 harmful than otherwise. 



BIRDS OF PREY AS A CI-.ASS BENEFICIAL. 



The note books of the writer who was authorized a 

 few years since by Secretary Thomas J. Edge to in- 

 vestigate the economic status of the raptorial birds, 

 for whose luckless "heads and ears'" a piemiuin of tifty 

 cents each was paid, show that of about 500 of these 

 birds whose decapitated bodies were obtained from 

 justices of the peace and magistrates, only 69, or a 

 little less than one-seventh, were detrimental kinds. viz: 

 ("ooper's Hawk, 25; Sharp-shinned Hawk. Iti; (treat 

 Horned Owl, V.i; ]5arred Owl. 10; Dtick Hawk. 2; 

 Pigeon Hawks, 2; and Goshawk. 1. The remainder 

 were species which post-morten examinations clearly 

 demonstrated were of immense value to aid in keeping 

 in check the prolific and destructive field mice as well 

 as several kinds of insects whidi do great injury to 

 cultivated crops. 



