3o6 Bird - Lore 



so badiv wounded tliiit llicy were cnal)led to ll\- hut a short \va\", onW to ilie. 

 The baiting of fields is but a reUc of barbarism, and no surer method is conceiv- 

 able bv which Doves can be speedily exterminated than the pernicious j)ractice 

 of baiting fields. This custom has been stopi)ed in Alabama, and Doves have 

 rajiidly increased. 



Reports from every section of the state indicate the fact that s([uirrel and deer 

 are rapidh' multiphing. In many j^laces where deer have not been seen for years 

 ihev are now fairl\- abundant, and s(|uirrels are found in ])ractically every wood- 

 land. The provision of the law making it a violation to offer game for sale has 

 served the excellent ])urpose of disbanding the great army of murderous pot 

 hunters that formerly combed the state, eager to slaughter every species of wild 

 life that could be sighted. F^ormerly, the fronts of our market were strung with 

 game, birds and animals, which stood out as a nauseating sight to those who 

 knew the practices resorted to in bringing so much game to bag. No game or 

 birds is now being sold in Alabama, except here and there in isolated cases. 



Formerly, thousands of Quails were trapped and shipped to foreign markets. 

 Th(;se who engaged in this ])ractice had emissaries in practically every section 

 of the state, who would capture the birds and ship them to headcjuarters, from 

 whence thev were ex])ressed out (»f the slate. Many packages of dead game 

 were likewise expressed from Alabama, all of which has been stopped. 



Wild Turke}' and Wood Duck, two of our most valuable game birds, that 

 were formerl}- nearing the point of extinction in Alabama, are now frequently 

 seen in large flocks in practically every section of the state. 



The Commissioner of the Department of Game and Fish prevailed upon the 

 State Su})crintendent of Education to set aside the 4th of May, the anniversary 

 of the birth of Audubon, as Bird Day in Alabama. At the request of Mr. Gunnels, 

 the State Game and Fish Commissioner j)repares annually a Bird Day Book, 

 which consists of a suitable program of recitations and declamations. The 

 institution of Bird Day has been most valuable in inculcating into youthful 

 minds a higher appreciation of song birds, and of educating them to a compre- 

 hensive idea of their economic value. 



As a reciprocal obligation which is due by us to those who reside in the North, 

 migatory birds should be protected by the Southern states. Were it not for the 

 fact that during the nesting and breeding season these birds are protected, it 

 would not be long before there would be no birds to migrate during the autumn 

 and winter seasons to this section. Birds know no state lines, and, in so far as 

 the preservation and protection of those that belong to the migratory family 

 is concerned, it is a national and not a state question. 



A few of our citizens have objected to the protection of Robins. These birds 

 nest to the North in orchards and in the immediate vicinity of the homes of citi- 

 zens; they are much loved on account of their friendliness to man, and because of 

 their sweet songs during the spring. Formerly, Robins were slaughtered by 

 millions in the South, and oftentimes were fed to hogs. The sensation of horror 



