44 



story. From 47 people we get reports showing that 47 cats have 

 killed but 534 birds in a year. Evidently these are not the same 

 cats that killed on an average 20.4 birds each a month. It is 

 plain that many of those who have kept records of the cats 

 that were killing large numbers of birds have either killed their 

 cats before the year ended, which happened in several cases, or 

 have failed to carry out their records for a year. Examination 

 shows that most of the notes of a year's killing come from those 

 who believe that their cats kill but few birds, and the notes are 

 given casually, from memory. Some of these cats have been 

 carefully watched, reproved, whipped, shut in or otherwise pre- 

 vented from catching birds, while others are in city localities 

 where they have little chance to kill birds. Still others are high- 

 bred, well-fed cats, which manifest little desire to catch any- 

 thing. 



The few people who have made continuous observations report 

 that bird-killing cats in good hunting grounds, when not re- 

 strained, kill upwards of 50 birds per year. I have six such 

 reports. It is not claimed, however, in any case that the cat 

 did not kill more than 60, only that it was believed to have 

 killed over 50. The most painstaking and careful report that I 

 have was made by Mr. A. C. Dike. This has been recorded else- 

 where. ^ The cat was a family pet. It was watched for one 

 season and was known to kill 58 birds. 



I have been widely misquoted as authority for the statement 

 that every cat catches 50 birds per year, but my estimate was, 

 that a mature cat in good hunting grounds will catch about 50 

 birds a year. Not all cats can or will do this. It would be im- 

 possible for any cat to kill such a number of birds where cats 

 are numerous, for there would not be birds enough to "go 

 'round," nor would it be possible where birds are scarce, as in 

 cities, where the birds available are largely house sparrows and 

 doves which through centuries of association with men and cats 

 have become hard to catch. Even in good hunting grounds only 

 the most active bird-hunting cats can be depended upon to 

 secure such a number of birds yearly, although no doubt some 

 of them, particularly those that have run wild, kill many more. 



Numher of Birds killed in Various States. — My published 

 statement, estimating the number of birds killed each year by 

 the farm cats of Massachusetts alone, was given on the basis 

 of 10 birds per cat per year, and 2 cats per farm. On this basis 

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