﻿BIRDS 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  53 
  

  

  In 
  addition 
  to 
  all 
  these 
  dangers 
  to 
  bird 
  life 
  we 
  must 
  add 
  the 
  direct 
  

   agency 
  of 
  man 
  in 
  destroying 
  birds 
  and 
  taking 
  their 
  eggs, 
  both 
  for 
  food, 
  scien- 
  

   tific 
  specimens, 
  and 
  for 
  so 
  called 
  sport 
  or 
  idle 
  curiosity. 
  Perhaps 
  the 
  most 
  

   destructive 
  class 
  are 
  the 
  thoughtless 
  boys 
  who 
  go 
  birds' 
  egging 
  and 
  shooting 
  

   indiscriminately; 
  also 
  foreigners, 
  mostly 
  Italians, 
  who 
  often 
  kill 
  all 
  

   kinds 
  of 
  birds 
  for 
  food, 
  as 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  accustomed 
  to 
  do 
  in 
  their 
  native 
  

   country; 
  and 
  the 
  pot 
  hunters 
  and 
  market 
  gunners, 
  who 
  exterminate 
  our 
  

   game 
  without 
  mercy. 
  It 
  is 
  also 
  a 
  common 
  occurrence 
  in 
  all 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  

   State 
  to 
  see 
  gunners, 
  who 
  call 
  themselves 
  sportsmen, 
  shooting 
  at 
  swifts, 
  

   swallows, 
  meadowlarks, 
  kingbirds 
  etc. 
  merely 
  "for 
  fun," 
  or 
  "for 
  practice." 
  

   Mr 
  Fuertes 
  and 
  myself 
  once 
  picked 
  up 
  i8 
  swallows 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  killed 
  by 
  

   a 
  gunner 
  who 
  was 
  returning 
  home, 
  disappointed, 
  from 
  a 
  morning's 
  duck 
  

   shooting, 
  and 
  this 
  was 
  only 
  a 
  small 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  number 
  which 
  he 
  had 
  

   shot 
  as 
  they 
  were 
  hovering 
  over 
  the 
  reeds 
  of 
  the 
  Cayuga 
  marshes. 
  Bitterns, 
  

   grebes, 
  owls 
  and 
  herons 
  are 
  killed 
  by 
  many 
  gunners 
  at 
  every 
  opportunity. 
  

   It 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  such 
  acts 
  are 
  largely 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  thoughtlessness 
  or 
  

   ignorance, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  hoped 
  that 
  by 
  spreading 
  a 
  knowledge 
  of 
  our 
  native 
  

   birds, 
  thereby 
  arousing 
  a 
  pride 
  and 
  interest 
  in 
  their 
  welfare, 
  we 
  may 
  over- 
  

   come 
  a 
  large 
  portion 
  of 
  this 
  wanton 
  destructiveness. 
  

  

  We 
  have 
  not 
  yet 
  mentioned 
  the 
  dangers 
  to 
  which 
  birds 
  are 
  subjected 
  

   in 
  the 
  due 
  course 
  of 
  nature 
  without 
  the 
  interference 
  of 
  man. 
  The 
  most 
  

   obvious 
  of 
  these 
  arises 
  from 
  the 
  attacks 
  of 
  predaceous 
  animals. 
  Gyrfalcons, 
  

   Duck 
  hawks, 
  goshawks. 
  Snowy 
  and 
  Great 
  horned 
  owls 
  are 
  destructive 
  to 
  

   ducks, 
  grouse 
  and 
  other 
  large 
  birds. 
  Pigeon, 
  Cooper 
  and 
  Sharp-shinned 
  

   hawks 
  feed 
  mostly 
  upon 
  sparrows, 
  thrushes 
  and 
  other 
  small 
  birds. 
  All 
  

   the 
  species 
  of 
  hawks 
  and 
  owls 
  occasionally 
  kill 
  other 
  birds, 
  as 
  is 
  also 
  true 
  

   of 
  shrikes, 
  crows, 
  jays 
  and 
  Crow 
  blackbirds. 
  The 
  three 
  last 
  mentioned 
  

   are 
  especially 
  destructive 
  to 
  eggs 
  and 
  young 
  birds. 
  I 
  have 
  known 
  many 
  

   instances 
  of 
  crows 
  carrying 
  away 
  robins 
  and 
  other 
  young 
  birds 
  when 
  

   nearly 
  ready 
  to 
  leave 
  the 
  nest 
  and 
  have 
  seen 
  Crow 
  blackbirds 
  follow 
  and 
  

   kill 
  young 
  robins 
  which 
  were 
  able 
  to 
  fly 
  several 
  rods. 
  I 
  once 
  saw 
  a 
  Bittern 
  

   followed 
  so 
  hotly 
  by 
  a 
  troop 
  of 
  redwings 
  that 
  she 
  dropped 
  the 
  young 
  bird 
  

  

  