35 



"for the benefit of agriculture aud for the protection uf 

 game, within this Oouinionwealth,"* as that powerful 

 night-prowling poultry and game thief, the Great 

 Horned Owl. 



TURKEY BUZZARDS SLAIN. 



Turkey Buzzards which subsist almost exclusively on 

 carrion, and which because of their great worth as 

 scavenger are carefully protected in southern States 

 by stringent laws and strong public sentiment, have 

 been wantonly destroyed as they were believed to be 

 "bad on chickens and young turkeys." Probably if 

 the facts were known the ''heads and ears" of these 

 dead vultures were worth at the office of some justice 

 of the peace — a man, perhaps, locally famous for his 

 profound knowledge of legal lore — fifty cents each to 

 the scalp hunter. In addition to the fifty cents bounty, 

 the wise (?) justice of the peace received twenty or 

 twenty-five cents for his services, but the elector in 

 whose presence ''were burned," the "head and ears" of 

 the "bold, bad" buzzard, whose alleged deeds of rapin'> 

 had brought sorrow into numerous poultry yards and 

 many dollars loss to the owners thereof, got nothing for 

 his signature and trouble, unless, of course, he, and th'.> 

 slayer of the predatory (?) bird had some private under- 

 standing not contemplated by the act of Assembly. 



NIGHT HAWKS AND W^HIP-POOR-KII.LS KILLED. 



These practical, blood-thirsty manifestations of ig 

 norance and love of pecuniary gain, have not. by any 

 means, been confined to the noble and ignoble birds 

 of prey, and their nocturnal relatives, the owl. Night 

 hawks and Whip-pooi'-wills, birds that subsist upon 

 winged Insects of most harmful habits, have been do- 



*From section 1 of "Scalp Act," approved June 23, ISSio 



