226 



Bird - Lore 



Bird Bill was passed and are very plentiful. ject to the following conditions and require- 

 However, if they must be thinned out, this ments: 



can be done during the fall and winter after Robins shall not be so killed except when 



the nesting season is over. This would be they are committing or are about to commit 



more humane. serious injury to growing cherries or other 



"Inclosed find a clipping from the Pitts- small fruits and it is necessary to kill such 



hurgh Post, which gives the paper I read Robins in order to protect the cherries or 



before the Pennsylvania Forestry Associa- other small fruits from damage, but no per- 



tion here — you will note that I touched on sons shall shoot at such Robins from any arti- 



this subject. Kindly let me have your ficial or natural blinds, nor shall the Robins 



thought in regard to the matter. so killed be sold or offered for sale, or be 



"With best wishes, I am, shipped, transported, or carried in any man- 



Your friend, ner, except that they may be carried by the 



(Signed) John M. Phillips." person killing them to the residence of the 



owner or lessee on the lands where such 



Mr. Phillips has given general publicity to f ^^ins were killed and there may be used for 



^ . 1 , -ii- rn ^- ^o*3*i purposes by the persons authorized to 



his official objections to the killing of Robins j^j^ j-^em. Robins killed between May i6, 



in this manner. In the issue of the Pittsburgh 192 . . , and July 15, 192 . . , may be possessed 



Post for June 17, 1921, occurs the following not later than July 25, 192 . . . 



, .- I- ri- ^ . jj_„„„„^. This permit shall not be valid unless coun- 



quotation from one of his recent addresses: , . ji., u- c ca ■ 1 ■ u c 4.u 



^ tersigned by the chief omcial in charge of the 



enforcement of the fish and game laws of the 



"The Federal Government is issuing per- State of or his 



mits authorizing the killing of song-birds and duly authorized representative and shall be 



insectivorous birds when found destroying revocable in the discretion of the Chief of the 



small fruits. Bureau of Biological Survey or of the person 



"These permits are effective right during countersigning same, 



the nesting season, from May 15 to July 15, Countersigned by: Secretary of Agriculture, 

 when possible to do the most damage to the 

 birds. The permit also allows the killer to 



retain his birds in cold storage until July 25 (Title) 



for food purposes. These nesting birds would Date 

 be as palatable as setting hens. For many 



years we fought against the killing of Egrets ^^^ Governmenf s Side of the Story 

 for plumage m southern swamps on the 



ground that killing the parent birds in the , . , . , • , , ^ 



nesting season allowed thousands of baby After reading these presentations by Mr. 



Egrets to starve. Phillips a letter was sent to the Biological 



"This inhuman condition will be multiplied Survey stating that the above communica- 



a thousand times if farmers are to be per- ^^^^ ^^^j^ ^^ published in Bird-Lore and 



mitted to kill Robins and other insect-eaters . rr ■ ■, r 1 



during their nesting season when, after requesting an official statement from the 



working for months for the farmers, they ask Biological Survey as to why it was deemed 



only a little dessert, a small reward for their necessary to issue permits to kill Robins, 



labor, asked for at a tirne when their own ^nder date of July 2, 1921, the following 



domestic crisis is at hand. , . , 



letter was received: 



PERMIT TO KILL ROBINS 



• United States Department of Agriculture 

 Bureau of Biological Survey 



Permit to Shoot Robins to Protect Cherries 

 and Other Small Fruits 



Permission is hereby granted to 



of : 



State of 



to kill Robins by shooting from half an hour 

 before sunrise to half an hour after sunset 

 each day from May 16 to July 15, inclusive, 

 192. .when necessary to protect cherries and 

 other small fruits from damage on lands 



owned or leased by 



of but sub- 



"My dear Mr. Pearson: I have your letter 

 of June 30, requesting the reasons why the 

 Bureau deems it necessary and wise to issue 

 permits to allow Robins to be killed in certain 

 states to protect small fruits from their 

 depredations. 



"You are aware, of course, that Robins 

 have increased possibly several fold under the 

 protection afforded by Federal la.ws during 

 the last few years, and that despite the gen- 

 eral usefulness of Robins and other species of 

 migratory insectivorous birds the Robins and 

 some of the other species at times are seri- 

 ously injurious to fruit and to agricultural 

 interests. 

 "A representative of the Bureau whoinves- 



