58 Refort of Committee on Bird Protection. \jlm 



with a couple of hand satchels go North and dispose of them. 

 When your northern dealers are punished to the fullest extent of 

 the law for buying them then, and only then, will the killing of 

 plume birds stop in Florida." 



The killing of small insectivorous birds for game or 'sport' 

 seems to be largely restricted to the Southern States, but is there 

 practised to such an extent as to warrant the most serious con- 

 sideration. Miss Florence A. Merriam writes : " The protection 

 we give birds during the nesting season in the North is not wholly 

 satisfactory if they are shot on migrating South, and, as is well 

 known, many of our most valuable insectivorous birds are used, 

 for food in the South, and as soon as they begin migrating are 

 subjected to a persistent fusillade. During one week in the spring 

 of 1897, 2600 Robins, shot in North Carolina, were exposed for 

 sale in one market stall in Washington, and in Summerville, S. C, 

 the shooting was so constant that I came to feel that no 

 northern bird could ever reach home alive." Prof. Nehrling 

 and Mr. Allison report the same practice in New Orleans where 

 vast numbers of song birds of all sorts are sold in the markets. 



As regards Laws, nearly every State has laws intended to 

 protect the birds, though many are so badly framed as to be 

 absolutely useless. But even good laws are usually dead letters 

 unless there is some one whose business it is to enforce them. 

 In only a few States do the game wardens make it their business 

 to arrest violators of the bird laws, and the greatest need in bird- 

 protective legislation is the provision of salaried game wardens 

 to enforce the laws. It is in this connection, however, that we 

 look for good results by cooperation with the League of Ameri- 

 can Sportsmen, some of whose wardens are already taking deep 

 interest in the welfare of the song birds. 



In the lack of regular wardens much good can be clone by 

 posting copies of laws and penalties in prominent places through 

 the country, which experience has shown will deter many would- 

 be slaughterers. It is also well worth while to instruct country 

 constables as to the laws and the profits resulting from the arrest 

 of offenders. One case has come to the notice of the Committee 

 of a country constable who, to use his own words, "netted S3:; 

 in fines from people shootin' birds as Mrs. calls valuable." 



