PESTS AND THEIR TREATMENT 135 



of the rice crops. To-day the rice-growing industry 

 in the Carolinas is nearly dead, and the old condi- 

 tions no longer exist. There now remains no excuse 

 whatever for the slaughter of bobolinks for sport, 

 for food or to protect crops. The bobolink-rice- 

 bird is no longer in the pest class, and it deserves the 

 same permanent protection that is accorded the 

 robin and thrush. 



The bobolink is a useful bird; but mark you the 

 ill turn it has been served by the evil reputation that 

 forty years ago was forced upon it by the rice 

 planters of the Carolinas. Because it ate rice, that 

 beautiful songster, which part of the year does 

 good execution on insects and weed seeds, was shot 

 for food, as an alleged "pest." Sportsmen entered 

 into the slaughter and some have continued in it. 

 By reason of this ancient, out-of-date and now 

 wholly libelous excuse, the sportsmen of certain 

 states now continue to shoot bobolinks as "game." 

 Strangest of all bird-killing spectacles, every 

 autumn we see in the District of Columbia, about 

 1,100 gunners take the field, and slaughter bobo- 

 links for "sport," all around the Capitol of this bird- 

 protecting nation ! 



Everywhere throughout the world, save in one 

 place, the killing of female hoofed and horned game 

 is, by conscientious men and true sportsmen, re- 

 garded as highly destructive to species, and there- 

 fore quite inadmissible. No species can long 

 withstand the destruction of its mothers ! No man 



