in South Carolina 51 



birds will be shot." Good judgment requires that there 

 should be a close season of a number of years on those 

 species which are nearing extinction. No true sportsman 

 could ebject to that, especially as the birds do not belong 

 exclusively to him. 



Cats 



Many suggestions are for measures to reduce the num- 

 bers of superfluous cats. Mr. B. F. Taylor, Richland, 

 writes: "Kill nine-tenths of the house cats." Mr. W. D. 

 Brown, Beaufort, suggests: "Better laws as to cats which 

 run at large." The seriousness of the problem is begin- 

 ning to be felt all over the country. Unsuccessful attempts 

 have been made in New York, Massachusetts and New 

 Jersey to secure State laws for restricting vagrant cats. 



The town of Montclair, N. J., has just passed a law to 

 prevent unidentified cats from roaming at large in the 

 streets. Such legislation is kindness to the cats as well 

 as protection to the birds. The Society for the Prevention 

 of Cruelty to Animals put to death nearly 200,000 cats 

 year before last in New York City alone. The cat is 

 recognized as such a destructive agency that it is banished 

 entirely from any place made especially safe and attractive 

 to birds. 1 



Dogs, a Curse to the Birds of South Carolina. 



Significant of the harm which is done by roaming dogs 

 to wild bird life, is the fact that the largest number of 

 measures proposed by observers are for coping with this 

 problem. The principal suggestions are: First, a 'good 

 high State-wide tax which will result in a large reduction 

 in the numbers of dogs. Second, confinement or muzzling 

 of the remainder during the bird's nesting season. In 

 order to make the law effective, euery dog upon which the 

 tax has been paid, should be required by law to wear a tag 



lForbush, E. H., The Domestic Cat. Massachusetts State Board 

 of Agriculture, 1916. 



