ECONOMIC VALUE OF OUR BIRDS 69 



sport to shoot the useful spotted sandpiper, a bird 

 so small that it takes at least four of them to make 

 a respectable dinner portion. 



I am still claiming that every species of shore- 

 bird in America now is entitled to at least a five- 

 year close season, as a matter of justice, common 

 sense and common decency. I regard only two 

 species of shore-birds as legitimate game, at any 

 time, even when they are generally plentiful. 

 These are the woodcock and jack-snipe. If I had 

 my will, all other species should forever be immune 

 from slaughter; first, because of the good they do; 

 second, because of the element of interest they add 

 to shores and interior lands; and third, because as 

 game-birds few of them taste good and the quantity 

 of food they furnish never amounted to an item 

 worthy of serious consideration. 



The advocates of shore-bird killing and there 

 are many will tell us that "there are thousands of 

 them," of various species, to be found on the south 

 shore of Long Island, and elsewhere on the Atlan- 

 tic coast. Last spring on a cold, raw and rainy day, 

 a shore-bird sportsman took me to Great South 

 Bay, during the spring flight northward. It was 

 on May 27. In spite of bad weather conditions we 

 steamed to and fro, in and out, around and about 

 through that great watery labyrinth until we saw at 

 least 2,000 shore-birds, of nine species. Had the 

 day been fine and clear we would undoubtedly have 

 seen many more. 



