H4 



farm is engaged, to a more or less extent, iu raisin;; 

 domestic fowls. This being the case it is of the utmost 

 importance, not only for the individual farmer's ad 

 vantage, but for the general welfare of the Common 

 wealth, that every effort should be made to correct Uw 

 popular prejudice which exists, in many localities 

 against diflerent species of our furred and feathered 

 tenants. 



WILL SUFFER FOR OUR BLUNDERS. 



However, the lack of proper knowledge, as to the 

 true economic relations of birds and mammals, is, by 

 no means, restricted to the agricultunil people, as 

 lias been repeatedly evidenced from the fact that, 

 on several occasions, barriers have been placed, by 

 officials (no doubt well meaning but certainly not well- 

 informed), in the way of proposed efforts to educat'i 

 the masses in different branches of the natural 

 sciences. 



The fruits of such blunders are manifest now, and in 

 years to follow the}'^ will be much more apparent. 

 Laboi'ing under an idle delusion that some of the 

 most serviceable birds to be found about one's premises 

 iire injurious, we see men destroxinu all l)a\>ks and 

 owls tliey find; yet there are probably not more than 

 ti\(' er six u{' lliese Itirds isjiccics) wiiich arc sutticieut ly 

 numerous in the State to do serious damage to domes- 

 tic fowls and game. The fact that some species of 

 raptorial birds live almost wholly on different forms 

 of noxious insect-life is, seemingly, unknown to the 

 great majority, and as a natural sequence these sharp- 

 eyed feathered benefactors are killed with tne same 

 zest as are their poultry-gauie-eating kinsfolk. 



Tlie sninller kinds of owls which loxe an insect diet, 

 have, likewise, been liunted as eagerly liy sralp-hunters 



