The Audubon Societies 159 



(c) Instruct and assist wherever possible in the propagation and care of 

 pigs and Belgian hares, for these two animals are easily kept and are profitable. 



2. Conservation of Food-Supply. 



(a) Increase all efforts to protect beneficial birds. Reach every school, 

 every library, every farmer and every newspaper in your state with concise, 

 truthful statements of the relation of birds to agriculture, forestry, and health. 



(b) Select as pets birds and animals which will aid in increasing our food- 

 supply. Remember that caged song-birds, cats, rabbits and other pets require 

 a great deal of food. Ask yourself how many pets of this kind you are justi- 

 fied in keeping when thousands of children and grown people, as well as neces- 

 sary animals, like cattle, pigs, sheep, horses and mules, are starving. 



(c) Turn your attention and energies, in the household of which you are a 

 member, to an economical disposal of garbage. You can render an inestimable 

 benefit to the Audubon Society by setting an example of thrift, broad-mind- 

 edness and cooperation. It goes without saying that everything conserved 

 to the best end serves many purposes. Birds are natural scavengers, certain 

 species belonging almost exclusively to that rank. From them we humans 

 should learn the lesson that Nature never wastes anything. Millions of dollars 

 are annually thrown away in our garbage-pails. You are not a good nature- 

 lover nor a thorough nature-student if you carelessly waste refuse matter 

 which can be converted to further use. 



Much so-called garbage properly sorted and prepared, furnishes good food 

 for pigs and poultry. There are other uses of this despised resource which 

 should be studied in detail, and each citizen should be enlightened as to his 

 civic duty in cooperating with his neighbors and town or city officials in con- 

 serving all food and other values from this source. 



(d) Learn not to waste at table. I have seen poor waifs in one of our own 

 large cities visiting garbage-pails in the wealthier districts, for bits of cast-out 

 food. Better by far would it be if we avoided over-large helpings at table, 

 and saved remnants in a usable condition. The food-supply of the nation would 

 go more nearly around to the poor as well as the rich if everyone was thought- 

 ful about wasting at table. Incidentally, we should be more healthful. 



Birds are the largest eaters, relatively, of all living creatures, man not 

 excepted. At this season of nesting observe for yourself how birds use their 

 food-supply. Things they do not like they leave alone after one or two trials. 

 Things they like they usually eat entirely. Only a few birds secure prey- or 

 food material as pastime. Although birds are enormous eaters, they have a 

 restricted diet, varied only sufficiently to meet the requirements of their activ- 

 ities and the vicissitudes of their annual food-supply. You can learn something 

 from the food habits of birds about increasing and conserving the food-supply 

 of the world. 



