140 WILD LIFE PROTECTION FUND 



reckless and so unreasonable that it recognizes no limits 

 save its own greedy ambition. 



The federal migratory bird bill became a federal law 

 because it was imperatively needed throughout our land 

 in protecting a stock of insect-eating birds that is now 

 of very great economic value to the country at large. With 

 an annual loss to our crops and forests, from insect pests, 

 aggregating over $500,000,000, and $7,000,000 annually lost 

 on sprays and insecticides, it is high time to give all our 

 insect-eating birds every opportunity to live and work. 



The federal law was also imperatively needed to protect 

 our migratory geese, ducks, shore-birds and others from 

 the dangers of practical or complete extermination through 

 utterly inadequate state laws, poor law enforcement and out- 

 rageous over-killing. Many states had been proven utterly 

 incompetent to protect any portion of their stock of wild 

 life, and some states are in that condition today. These 

 facts are so universally known and conceded, that they are 

 not open to argument. Fortunately they are also so well 

 known throughout both branches of Congress that it is no 

 longer necessary to marshal testimony to prove them. 



THE STATES NEED FEDERAL HELP. 



The states alone can not protect their wild birds one- 

 half so adequately as can be accomplished by honest and 

 intelligent federal and state co-operation. This is true 

 even of the game birds. For example, the enlightened 

 state legislature of Iowa never could be persuaded to enact 

 a state law prohibiting the shooting of wild fowl in spring, 

 during the breeding season; and only one year ago her 

 organized sportsmen in state convention assembled, at Des 

 Moines, unblushingly voted against making the state laws 

 conform with the regulations of the federal law! Many 

 states have already established that conformity; but 

 not Iowa! 



