ILLINOIS AUDUBON SOCIETY 29 



may shoot at non-game birds and go free provided mu-'s markmanship is 



amiss because Section 6 of the law does not offer a penalty for the "attempt 

 to kill or destroy." In one notable instance, that of a hunter caught shoot- 

 ing at goldfinches, the judge ruled that according to the law the man had 

 committed no offense since he had apparently failed to kill any of the 

 birds. Of course, this defect of the law must be remedied. With tin- weak 

 point removed, the boy (or man) with the sling shot or the air gun can be 

 held liable even for his futile effort to kill birds. As the law does not 

 specify means of killing- or destroying, sling shots and air rifles are, of 

 course, to be reckoned with as are guns or rifles. 



Outlaw s 



What do you think about the list of unprotected birds given in Section 

 6 above: the English sparrow, crow, blackbird, blue jay. chicken hawk, or 

 cormorant? Audubonites are by no means unanimous in condemning any 

 of these except the English sparrow. The writer believes that he voices 

 conservative views in saying that the crow is a local problem and that it 

 should be warred against only where its numbers and the local conditions 

 make it a menace. This idea is elaborated on another page of this bulletin 

 w here the shot gun propaganda of a powder manufacturer is examined and 

 dulv characterized. Of the blackbirds only the grackle is commonlv held 

 in bad repute and that only locally. Think of a state law banning the red- 

 wing and the yellow-head ! In a way, the grackle or crow blackbird and 

 the jay are local problems also. In very few- communities are they a 

 menace. As to the chicken hawks, everyone acquainted with the hawk 

 family knows that the large and conspicuous hawks which the ignorant 

 hunter goes after are not really chicken hawks at all and they are too 

 valuable assets of agricultural life to be outlawed. It is the smaller hawks, 

 the Cooper's, the sharp-shinned, the pigeon hawk, (the sparrow hawk 

 excepted), and the goshawk which should be exterminated and not the fine 

 big hawks, the marsh hawk, red-shouldered, broad-winged, and the rest. 

 "Of 65 stomachs of broad-winged hawks examined, Fisher reported 2 

 containing small birds; 15, mice: 13. other mammals; 11, reptiles; 13. 

 batrachians ; 30. insects; 2, earth worms; 4, crawfish; and 7 were empty!" 

 The vicious goshawk and the pigeon hawk are very rare in Illinois. The 

 cormorant is also rare and probablv does very little harm. By way of 

 compromise (and with mental reservations) it might be well to offer no 

 protest to a list that outlaws the English sparrow, crow. jay. crow-black- 

 bird or grackle, Cooper's hawk, sharp-shinned hawk, pigeon hawk, and 

 goshawk. 



What About the Owls 



Two years ago a bill revising the fish and game laws went through the 

 legislature in one of the provisions of which the owls (except the "screech 

 owl") were placed on the list of outlawed birds. The bill was vetoed for 

 certain structural weaknesses and need not be considered here, but the 

 astonishing fact remains that it was drafted by intelligent persons who 

 were yet in ignorance of the great economic value of the owl family. With 

 the exception of the great horned owl which is very rare in Illinois and 



