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Bird - Lore 



the grass and did great damage, the people 

 abated their enmity, for they observed 

 that these birds lived chiefly on these 

 worms before the maize is ripe, and 

 consequently extirpated them." 



We have been taught to regard Dr. 

 Franklin as a man who did not speak 

 lightly on any subject. Legislators might 

 well weigh his observations and conclu- 

 sions in reference to Blackbirds. 



But, whether the birds are good or 

 bad, the inhabitants of Hoyleton com- 

 plain of their presence in such vast num- 

 bers, and take the most drastic means 

 known to rid themselves of the annoyance. 



In some places. Purple Martins have 

 the habit ,of accumulating in enormous 

 flocks before starting on their southern 

 migration. There would be nothing dis- 

 turbing about this were it not that they 

 usually choose a grove in the heart of a 

 town as their favorite roosting-place. 

 Many cases are known where the Martins 

 have thus brought down upon them the 

 wrath of a troubled community. 



At Wrightsville, North Carolina, a 

 great number of Purple Martins, in July, 

 1905, chose as their roosting-place the 

 grove surrounding a summer hotel. The 

 proprietor, wishing to rid himself of the 

 birds, invited in a number of his neigh- 

 bors, who, lying in wait for the birds 

 until night, fired into the trees and con- 

 tinued to shoot until the ground was 

 literally covered with the dead and dying 

 birds, and for days after wounded Mar- 

 tins could be found fluttering about the 

 neighboring lawns and roadsides. Esti- 

 mates on the number of birds killed 

 varied from 8,000 to 15,000. Upon 

 hearing of this tragic violation of the law, 

 the North Carolina Audubon Society 

 sent an agent to prosecute the offending 

 parties, twelve of whom were convicted 

 and each man paid a fine of one dollar. 

 A citizen of the place, who took no part in 

 the killing, said it had been very noticeable 

 that since the appearance of Martins 

 there had been less mosquitos than for 

 many years previous, and remarked that 

 he thought the community should not 

 permit these birds to be shot. 



On August 16, of this year, the writer 

 witnessed the evening gathering of a 

 flock of Martins which must have num- 

 bered over 100,000. The birds settled to 

 roost in the trees near the County Court 

 House, at Greensboro, North Carolina. 

 For six weeks they had been roosting 

 here every night, to the great annoyance 

 of the people living or having business in 

 that part of town. There had been loud 

 complaints that the birds were a nuisance 

 and a menace to health. Many plans 

 had been tried to get rid of them, but all 

 had failed. About dark on the evening 

 in question, a fire hose was brought to 

 bear on the trees and the birds were 

 drenched and frightened away. The 

 next evening not over 1,000 or 1,500 

 birds appeared. The water pressure, 

 while not sufficient to kill the birds, 

 apparently had the effect of causing them 

 to leave. It is just possible that this 

 method would have won for the people 

 of Montclair and Hoyleton and Wrights- 

 ville a complete and bloodless victory in 

 the moment of their extremity, and the 

 birds might still have been spared to 

 beautify the land. — T. G. P. 



A Petrel killing Dog* 



In the mouth of the Bay of Fundy, on 

 the far southeastern verge of the State of 

 Maine, in fact, so close to the Canadian 

 line that the British government main- 

 tains the light-house it holds, lies the 

 little lump of rock and earth known as 

 Machias Seal Island. Probably for 

 centuries it has been the summer home of 

 many sea-birds which frequent the waters 

 of that region. 



On July 15, 1911, the writer, in com- 

 pany with Mr. Arthur H. Norton, Presi- 

 dent of the Maine Audubon Society, 

 visited the island and, as it chanced to be 

 a day on which the sea was calm, a land- 

 ing was effected without great diffi- 

 culty. The tide was low as we approached, 

 and on the weed-covered rocks along the 

 shore, as well as on a rocky ledge nearby, 

 *See Mr. F. A. Brown's article on Machias 

 Seal Islands in this issue of Bird-Lore. 



