A PLEA FOR PHOTECTIXG OUll ^■ATI^ E BIRDS. 181^ 



IVIr. Chase highly praised those earnest, humane persons, Henry 

 Bergh of New York, his associates and successors, and C4eorge 

 "T. Angell of Massachusetts, who have labored indefatigablj' to 

 prevent all cruelty to animals, and to preserve to us our native 

 birds. He believed much could be done in our schools by having 

 all the pupils taught to understand not only the economical but 

 the .Tsthetic value of our birds. It would seem that Mr. Angell 

 and others engaged in like beneficent labors, were specially raised 

 up to devote themselves to works that appeal to, and develop the 

 better side of our nature in behalf of the helpless of either the 

 human race, or the lower animals. 



Robert Manning asked whether the cat could not be trained to 

 .hunt and kill the harmful kinds of birds, and leave the useful ones. 

 He spoke of a neighbor's cat which was seen to spring into the 

 midst of a group of chickens that were feeding from a dish ; but 

 "when puss left the spot she had an English sparrow in her jaws 

 instead of the chicken the lookers-on expected to see. 



Mr. Hersey said a cat could be cured of the habit of killing 

 'Chickens or birds by securely fastening a dead one under her chin 

 for a few days. 



Mr. Chase spoke of the robins as great favorites of his. Beside 

 their tunefulness they are ver}" useful in destroying cut-worms and 

 manj^ other kinds of injurious insects. It has been estimated that 

 the robins alone, by their consumption of insect pests, save crops 

 in the United States to the value of 820,000,000 annually. They 

 are in the garden and the field early in the morning getting the cut- 

 worms which a little later are hidden in the earth. Then they seek 

 other worms or some variety or form of other insects, almost their 

 entire food being of this character. The thrush is the best of all 

 scavengers, feeding upon the ground, collecting and devoui'ing 

 great swarms of insects with much waste matter beside. 



Mr. Chase said he knew the character of the English sparrow, 

 in Europe, before it was brought here to make trouble for us. 

 Several of the countries over there are trying to rid their lands of 

 the nuisance. He said he did all he could to prevent its introduc- 

 tion into the United States. They are most pugnacious and 

 persistent in their attacks upon other birds, a cat, a dog, or even a 

 child. They will gather in large numbers, twitter incessantly, and 

 make feints of attack from all sides, thus harrassing the object of 

 their dislike until, to be rid of the annoyance, the victim will leave 



