290 THE SLAUGHTER OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS 



THE EXTERMINATORS AND THEIR METHODS 



The destroyers of the wild hfe of North America constitute 

 a mighty army of destruction. It spreads over almost every 

 square mile of this continent (saying naught at present of 

 other continents!). The men and boys in that army number 

 millions. They employ a bewildering variety of destructive 

 devices, and they make various uses of the products of their 

 slaughter. That army is powerful, all-pervading, selfish and 

 merciless. In order to convey a proper understanding of the 

 conditions that threaten our feathered friends and allies, it 

 is worth while to pause long enough to consider a few leading 

 features. 



The things that have created the Army of Destruction, and 

 rendered its continued existence a possibility are as follows: 



1. — ^The absence of adequate protective laws. 



2. — Laws that are absurdly and fatally liberal to the 

 killers. 



3. — The non-enforcement of existing laws, over wide areas. 



4. — A vicious and deadly contempt for the law. 



5. — The enormous abundance of deadly firearms. 



6. — Fear of hurting the feehngs of game-hogs. 



7. — Scarcity of campaign money with which to fight the 

 destroyers. 



In view of this deadly combination against our wild life, 

 is it any wonder that our birds and mammals, little and big, 

 good, bad and neutral, have gone down before it like grass 

 before the mower's scythe? Is it not a wonder that anything 

 wild remains alive in 1914? 



