24 FOOD of WEST VIRGINIA BIRDS 



modified and simplified until it is reduced to this: All useful birds 

 should be protected and all positively harmful birds may be destroyed. 

 It is the purpose of this little book to help those who are interested 

 in the birds to properly discriminate between the useful and the harmful 

 species, and to suggest ways of destroying the harmful ones and means 

 of protecting and increasing the numbers of the useful ones. 



Campaign of Education. 



A campaign of ornithological education should be begun at once in 

 West Virginia. Boys, girls, teachers, horticulturists, orchardists, fruit- 

 dealers, lumbermen, hunters, land-owners and every one else should be 

 trained in the knowledge of our birds and their economic value. Our 

 teachers should take up the subject of birds as the most attractive 

 field of nature study and give the boys and girls in rural, town and. 

 city schools some definite knowledge of the usefulness of our birds. 

 At farmers' meetings, in schools of higher grades and through the various 

 channels of transmitting useful information the people should be ac- 

 quainted with the value of bird life. A course in Economic Ornithology 

 should be given at the State University. Illustrated lectures on this 

 subject should be presented on many occasions for the diffusion of 

 knowledge along this line. Literature should be scattered far and wide 

 that the people may know just what our birds are and whether they 

 are useful or harmful. Only two or three publications on the birds of 

 West Virginia have ever been available for general distirbution, and 

 these are now scarcely obtainable. The young people should know 

 what the birds are doing and what would be the result should they 

 cease from this work of general helpfulness. A campaign of education 

 along these lines would be one of the very best means of protecting our 

 birds. 



Protective Societies. 



Several societies have already been organized for the purpose of pro- 

 moting bird protection. The West Virginia Audubon Society, with head- 

 quarters at Parkersburg, has been doing effective work and ought to 

 have the hearty support of all friends of the birds. The State Forest, 

 Game and Fish Warden has, for a number of years, been making efforts 

 to educate the people along the lines of forest, game and fish protection 

 and has, incidentally, done much for the protection of our song birds. 

 The State Commissioner of Agriculture has taken up this good work and, 

 through this publication, seeks to advance the cause of bird protection. 

 The West Virginia Forest, Game and Fish, Protective Associa- 

 tion has also helped in this great work. Before its members addresses 

 have been given and through its extended organizations literature 

 has been distributed. A number of local Bird Clubs have done a 

 great good in stirring up local sentiment in favor of the birds and in 

 promoting bird study. Several individuals who have gathered some 

 knowledge of bird-life have been centers of influence that have helped 

 wonderfully in the cause of bird protection. We should not be unmindful 



