Arbor and Bird Day Bulletin 



THE BIRDS' DECLARATION OF DEPENDENCE 



When in the course of their struggle for life it becomes neces- 

 sary for one class of creatures to appeal to another class for succor, 

 it is proper to set forth the dangers that threaten and the reasons 

 for asking relief. 



Therefore, we, the birds of the United States, in order to provide 

 for our common protection, promote our general welfare and secure 

 the blessings of safety for ourselves and our posterity, do make to 

 the people of this state a declaration of dependence for life, liberty 

 and happiness. This we do because you are stronger and wiser than 

 we and because we believe that you fathers, yourselves makers of 

 homes, will not purposely allow the nest-homes which we build to 

 be devastated and destroyed; that you mothers, careful for your 

 children, will gladly aid us that we may rear our young in safety; 

 that your children, joyous companions of our sports and haunts, 

 happy and secure in your own guarded homes, will tenderly watch 

 over the little nestlings in ours. 



With these assurances in our hearts, we inform you that certain 

 of our number pheasants, doves, grouse,, and many others are slain 

 not alone for food, but often cruelly, for mere sport at certain seasons 

 appointed by your laws. 



The Golden eagle, the Bald eagle, with all kinds of hawks and 

 owls, kingfishers, shrikes, swallows, nighthawks, and numerous similar 

 birds are wantonly killed in defiance of both your state and federal 

 laws, simply because they are large, or curious, or erroneously accused 

 of causing damage. 



Others of our number, among them robins, vireos, waxwings, 

 finches your most valuable helpers are destroyed because of their 

 eating a few buds or a little of the fruit which, with their assistance, 

 you produce in such abundance. 



In orchard regions, woodpeckers, creepers, nuthatches, and their 

 kindred species, who gather insects from tree trunks and branches, 

 are slaughtered because unjustly charged with harming trees and 

 distributing aphis, scale and blight. 



The most attractively colored of our comrades tanagers, orioles, 

 bluebirds, buntings, goldfinches are shot by many boys and thought- 

 less men for no better reason than that they furnish beautiful targets 

 for gun and slingshot. 



Although contrary to your laws, our dwelling places on the 

 Atlantic and Pacific islands, along the shores, in the swamps and 

 waterways, are frequently invaded by the plume hunter. 



Besides all this, we suffer from death from adverse conditions 

 unintentionally brought upon us by your fellow men. In cutting the 

 forests and in cultivating the prairies, they have destroyed vast ex- 

 tents of the nesting area formerly used by us. 



