BIRDS OF PEASEMARSH 



as bears, wolves and wild-cats, have disappear- 

 ed with the settling of the country. But where 

 they have gone the cat has come. The cats, like 

 the European Sparrows, have been brought by 

 man, and unless man will keep them in check 

 they will become a still greater menace to bird 

 life. Some cats are inveterate bird hunters, ap- 

 parently preferring them to rats or mice, and 

 for the birds that nest on the ground there is 

 little or no escape. A tax on cats, similar to 

 the dog tax, might help to some extent, as it 

 would undoubtedly lessen the number of stray 

 cats and prevent them being kept by irrespon- 

 sible people. If each cat wore a little bell it 

 would save a great many grown birds, as they 

 would be warned of its coming, but this would 

 not save the nestlings. Those in nests on the 

 ground or in low bushes, and even in the tree 

 tops would still be at their mercy, for some 

 cats are great climbers. Neither would it save 

 the young birds learning to fly. These are 

 more often pounced upon by the cat than by 

 any other bird enemy. A cat should never be 

 kept where birds are being attracted, and no 

 bird-lover should own a cat unless he is pre- 

 pared to keep it in when the birds are nesting. 

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