BIRDS 93 



destroyed to increase his collection. If this served any really 

 useful purpose, the resulting wholesale destruction of birds 

 might possibly have some justification. But ninety-nine 

 out of a hundred of these collections are soon forgotten and 

 become useless without having made any real contribution 

 to the knowledge of the possessor. 



The small boy, too, unfortunately carries his destructive 

 work among birds still further, as the following typical inci- 

 dent will show. A biologist reports meeting near Washing- 

 ton, D.C., " one such youngster, and 'upon examining his 

 game bag found it absolutely full of dead bodies of birds 

 which he had killed since starting out in the morning. One 

 item alone consisted of seventy-two ruby and golden-crowned 

 kinglets. The fellow boasted of having slain over one 

 hundred catbirds that season." 



76. Destruction of birds for food. In the early days of 

 the white settlements in North America, the game birds like 

 the grouse and duck were abundant and they were of neces- 

 sity killed, as were other wild animals, for food. Later on 

 began the killing of birds for sport. As the forests were 

 cut down, the birds had less and less protection, and had not 

 legislation intervened, the game birds would long since have 

 been exterminated. As it is, they have been killed faster 

 than they breed ; and this means ultimate extermination. 



To this destruction of game birds for food, in more recent 

 times has been added the wholesale slaughter of many of 

 our smaller birds like the thrushes, sparrows, warblers, and 

 woodpeckers. It is claimed that this has been largely due 

 to the demands of our immigrant population in the North 

 and to the negroes in the South. " However, there is scarcely 

 a hotel in New Orleans," says Professor Nehrling, " where 

 small birds do not form an item on the bill of fare. At cer- 



