THE TRAVELS OF BIRDS 



we can under the circumstances. We cannot 

 abandon our lighthouses and electric wires ; we 

 cannot control fogs and storms; but we should 

 be able to control those of our fellowmen who 

 are so short-sighted as to want to kill these birds 

 for one reason or another. 



Not so many years ago they were killed in 

 countless numbers to be placed on women's hats ; 

 long after this was prohibited by law in some 

 states, it was permitted in others ; while in cer- 

 tain markets in the South one could see great 

 bunches of small insect-eating birds hung up for 

 sale. 



It is impossible, of course, for the law of one 

 state to follow these wonderful little travelers on 

 their long journeys. Here today, they may be 

 hundreds of miles away tomorrow. No state, 

 therefore, can claim them as her citizens. They 

 are more nearly citizens of the Republic, and as 

 such they should be wards of the United States 

 Government. This is the conclusion reached by 

 eminent lawmakers who are also familiar with 

 the ways of our migratory birds and their value 

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