160 Canadian Record of Science. 



and noticed that the pelicans had deserted this grassy- 

 island entirely, and were scattered, in diminished numbers, 

 on other islands which were not occupied by them when he 

 made his former trips. On inquiring into the cause of this 

 change, he learned from prominent citizens, that two or 

 three enterprising (?) men had conceived the idea of making 

 their fortunes from pelican-oil, and had erected 'trying-out' 

 shanties on the mainland. They went to the island in ques- 

 tion in large boats, and carried off cargoes of young pelicans 

 in all stages of growth, and boiled them up for their oil. 

 The only satisfaction he could get from the history of this 

 experiment was, that the men could not sell the oil, and had 

 nothi g but their nefarious labor for their pains. Think of 

 the enormous sacrifice of life for a foolish experiment ! This 

 heartless slaughter is hardly equalled in cruelty by the so- 

 called sport of the union troops during the war against 

 secession, who, while idly lying in transports off the passes 

 along the coast, amused themselves by fastening a fish to a 

 plank which was so weighted as to be quite submerged : 

 they would then watch the pelicans dive for the fish, while 

 bets were freely interchanged as to the probability of the 

 bird getting a broken neck, with the odds decidedly in 

 favor of the death of the pelican. Instances without num- 

 ber might be given to show that man, unchecked by law, 

 will ruthlessly destroy the very things most useful to him 

 if preserved and protected. 



" The same havoc prevails all along the coast lines ; and 

 many localities might be cited where the destruction is 

 equally sweeping, as on the Pacific coast and at frequent 

 points on the Atlantic coast from Florida to Labrador, — 

 wherever, in fact, the birds occur in sufficient numbers to 

 render such wholesale plundering practicable. The marsh- 

 breecling rails are at some localities subject to similar pro- 

 secution. At one locality on Long Island, it is reported, 

 a 'bay-man,' who keeps a house of entertainment for sports- 

 men during ' the season,' supplies his table for weeks at a 

 time with the eggs of the rails that breed numerously in 

 this vicinity, — in strange conflict, too, with his own in- 

 terests, since, by destroying the eggs of rails, he 'kills 



