244 Roosevelt Wild Life Bulletin 



Wild enemies of birds include not only many birds themselves 

 but also other desirable forms of wild life that have a distinct 

 educational and recreational value. The sentiment that condemns 

 every form of wild life which preys upon song birds, calling it 

 blood-thirsty and cruel when it is merely living its life as nature 

 taught it to live, is wrong and misplaced. Is not the Robin, when it 

 preys upon the earth-worm, quite as cruel and blood-thirsty as the 

 Sharp-shinned Hawk when it preys upon the Robin? 



For these reasons many efforts to destroy the wild enemies of 

 birds are ill-advised (cf. Forbush, '13). In the administration of 

 the Allegany State Park it will be wise to make an effort to keep 

 wild life in a natural balance, without extterminating any one species 

 because it is an enemy of some other that may seem more desirable, 

 except in the areas set aside wholly for fishing and hunting. 

 Enemies of birds in the Park, other than the native forms of wild 

 life, are man, the cat, the dog, the European Starling and English 

 Sparrow. There are probably others, but these are the most im- 

 portant. Man is responsible for all of the introduced species, and 

 to a certain extent able to control them. 



Control of Enemies of Birds. In controlling man two methods 

 are useful : legislation and education. Legislation for general pro- 

 tection of birds already exists in the form of good State and Federal 

 Laws. There may be occasion, however, for special legislation 

 protecting all forms of life on certain areas, or prohibiting hunting 

 within areas set aside as game preserves. The character of the 

 majority of visitors to the State Park will undoubtedly be such that 

 the usual routine of law enforcement to protect bird life will be all 

 that is necessary. The few cases that may arise through either 

 malicious intent or ignorance of the law should be dealt with in 

 such a way as to discourage further cases. Park visitors and camp- 

 ers who desire to help can exercise a good influence if, when they 

 meet with those who are ignorant of the laws and purposes of the 

 Park, or who may be inclined to destroy wild life, they make a 

 point to inform such persons of the value of such animals in the 

 Park. Educational measures may be taken in many ways, such as 

 the posting of signs at appropriate places in the Park, the publica- 

 tion and distribution of pamphlets, the printing of articles in news- 

 papers and magazines, and the employment of nature guides. 



The cat is fully as destructive to bird life as the worst of wild 

 enemies. LTnlike the latter it has not the same struggle for exist- 

 ence. It depends upon man to feed and shelter it. If it cannot 

 succeed in catching prey there is ordinarily no danger that it will 

 starve. It need not face the cold and hunger of winter that wild 

 creatures endure. ' Without these forces to keep its numbers in 

 check and with no diminution of its hunting instincts it becomes a 

 greater menace to bird life than all the wild natural enemies. Cats 

 sbould therefore be discouraged in the Park. There are possibilities 

 of good legislation to control them in the future ; but aside from 

 this it is recommended that campers or those who lease summer 



