THE SLAUGHTER OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS 291 



The Regular Army of Destruction. — This motley 

 gathering contains all sorts and conditions of men who kill 

 wild things. The character of the crowd varies by many 

 downward steps from the gentleman sportsman who goes 

 hunting because he loves Nature, and who kills either very 

 little or nothing at all, down to the sordid, law-breaking 

 "game-hog"^ and meat-hunter who greedily kills all that the 

 law allows and as much more as he can kill without detec- 

 tion. From the number of hunting licenses annually bought 

 and paid for, we are able to judge clearly the extent and 

 deadliness of the regular army of destroyers now operating 

 against wild life in our land. I have been at some pains to 

 collect the following records: 



The United States Army of Destruction 

 Hunting Licenses issued in 1911 



Alabama 5,090 Montana 59,291 



California 138,689 Nebraska 39,402 



Colorado 41,058 New Hampshire 33,542 



Connecticut 19,635 New Jersey 61,920 



Idaho 50,342 New Mexico 7,000 



Illinois 192,244 New York 150,222 



Indiana 54,813 Rhode Island 6,541 



Iowa 91,000 South Dakota 31,054 



Kansas 44,069 Utah 27,800 



Louisiana 76,000 Vermont 31,762 



Maine 2,552 Washington, about 40,000 



Massachusetts 45,039 Wisconsin 138,457 



Michigan 22,323 Wyoming 9,721 



Missouri 66,662 



Total number of regularly licensed gunners 1,486,228 



' The term "game-hog" was coined in 1897 by G. O. Shields, and it has come 

 into general use. It has been recognized by a judge on the bench as an afipro- 

 priate term to apply to all men who selfishly slaughter wild game beyond the limits 

 of decency. Although it is a harsh term, its has jarred a hundred thousand men into 



