THE SLAUGHTER OF BIRDS FOR FOOD 243 
NO. REPORTS 
9. Italians, and others, who devour song-birds............. 12 
10. Cheap firearms..........0 0000000 cece ee cece ee eee 5 
11. Drainage of marshes............0 26... cece ee cee 5 
12. Non-enforcement of laws............0.0.. cece ee cee ee 5 
13. Gun-clubs and hunting contests..........0...... 00.0. 5 
14. Collectors (ornithologists and taxidermists)......  ..... 5 
15. Colored population?.. ......0.......00 Fee 4 
16. Indians (for decrease of game quadrupeds)..... ....... 4 
THE SLavucHTeR oF Birps For Foop.—The craze for 
the destruction of bird life is almost beyond belief. No matter 
how much the bird-protectors may say about the destruction 
of our birds, and their impending extermination, far more 
than the half will remain untold. As our game birds become 
fewer and fewer, the market shooters begin to slaughter 
birds of song and beauty, which twenty years ago were safe 
because they were not considered “‘game.” Even twenty 
years ago no self-respecting American would have lowered 
himself to the level of the hawk and buzzard by killing and 
eating the poor little sandpiper and snow bunting. But mark 
what is going on to-day: 
In 1903 there came into the courts the case of the People 
of the State of New York against two men of New York 
City, to enforce the payment of fines amounting to $1,168,315 
for having in their possession contrary to law, in a cold- 
storage warehouse, certain dead birds out of season, game 
and not game. When the state game wardens searched the 
premises of the defendants, they found the following appalling 
mass of birds: 
1Since the rise in the price of cotton put a shotgun into the hands of every 
adult male country negro in the South, this factor of destruction has risen to 
about the fourth place. 
