in South Carolina 29 



Boys who are allowed to run amuck with slingshots, 

 airguns, .22 caliber rifles, etc., slay their thousands. Dr. 

 W. C. Kollock reports that a boy was seen near the 

 Charleston Country Club on Thanksgiving Day with five 

 Mockingbirds. Mr. F. L. Willcox, Florence, believes that 

 next to the cat^the greatest enemy of song and insectiv- 

 orous birds generally, is the small boy. Mr. R. B. Belser, 

 Sumter, considers that, in the destruction of small birds, 

 boys with the above mentioned weapons will take front 

 rank. 



It is deplorable that the young in the most formative 

 period of their lives are permitted and encouraged to 

 expend upon the destruction of a public resource the 

 energy and means which should be used in its conserva- 

 tion. If civilization rests on obedience to law, the young 

 who engage in this slaughter in defiance of the law, are 

 worse than savages. There should be an age limit for 

 shooters, and children should be taught at home and in 

 school, the reasons why the State and Nation protect birds, 

 and the seriousness of breaking of these laws. Such in- 

 struction could be made one of the best means of training 

 in good citizenship.^ 



Destruction of Cover, Nesting Sites, Etc. 



Burning over woods and fields, cutting away fence-rows 

 and hedges, draining swamps, clearing land, cutting away 

 undergrowth, shrubbery and vines affect birds injuriously 

 thru the destruction of their nesting sites, cover and food 

 plants. Burning over woods and fields in the spring 

 destroys the nesting sites, nests, and often the young of 

 many birds. Sixty-eight observers report great destruction 

 from this source. 



As population increases, the forests must give way to 

 cultivated fields. Fortunately few species inhabit deep 

 forests. Most of them prefer small wooded 'areas near 

 cultivated fields, gardens and dwellings, provided they 



IHodge, C. F., Nature Study and Life, p. 306. 



