302 THE SLAUGHTER OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS 



campaigns of the lawless elements against American wild life: 



1. The illegal slaughter, at all seasons, of game for the 

 pot, to save butchers' bills. 



2. The slaughter by the negroes and poor whites of the 

 South of our most valuable insect-eating birds for food. 



3. The slaughter in the North by Italians and other aliens 

 of birds and small mammals of every description. 



4. The slaughter of song birds in immense numbers by 

 unrestrained boys armed with 22-calibre rifles. 



5. The slaughter of female mountain sheep, female 

 antelope, female deer and female moose under cover of 

 licenses to kill males only; also regardless of licenses or seasons. 



BIRD-SLAUGHTER FOR THE MILLINERY TRADE. In an 

 evil moment some heartless enemy of birds conceived the idea 

 of decking the head-gear of civilized women with the wings, 

 tails, heads and also entire skins of wild birds. Very soon 

 the resultant slaughter began to alarm serious-minded and 

 thoughtful persons who believe that we of to-day have no 

 right to destroy the wild-life heritage of our children. In 

 1899 the Audubon societies began seriously to dispute the 

 right of the feather trade to destroy our finest bird life for 

 commercial profits and for vanity. That contest for the 

 birds of North America has been raging ever since the date 

 mentioned. 



To most Americans, the leading facts of our struggle with 

 the feather trade to save our egrets, herons, gulls, terns, 

 grebes, song birds and other species are already known. The 

 Audubonists saved to us the gulls and terns of our Atlantic 

 coast, but the enormously high prices paid for egret plumes, 



