172 



OEDERS OP BIRDS— INTRODUCTION^ 



Causes of Decrease in Bird Life. 



The temptation to offer a full statement of the 

 causes and means of prevention of bird-slaugh- 

 ter is very great; but those subjects must be 

 left to other pages. There is, however, much 

 food for thought in the following summary of 

 causes of destruction, as reported by the one hun- 

 dred and forty-four observers who entered into 

 this branch of the subject. They are hsted very 

 nearly in the order of their importance according 

 to the reports: 

 No. Reports. 



1. Sportsmen, and " so-called sportsmen". . . 54 



2. Boys who shoot 42 



3. Market-hunters and "pot-hunters" 26 



4. Plume-hunters, and milliners' hunters .. . 32 



5. "Shooters, generally" 21 



6. Egg-coUecting, chiefly by small boys .... 20 



7. EngUsh sparrow 18 



8. Clearing off timber, development of towns 



and cities 31 



9. Italians, and others, who devour song- 



birds 12 



10. Cheap firearms 5 



11. Drainage of marshes 5 



12. Non-enforcement of laws 5 



13. Gun-clubs and hunting contests 5 



14. Collectors (ornithologists and taxider- 



mists) 5 



15. Colored population 4 



16. Indians (for decrease of game quadrupeds) 4 



The Slaughter of Birds for Food.— 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 mar- 

 ket-shooters begin to slaughter birds of song 

 and beauty, which twenty years ago were safe 

 because they were not considered " game." Even 

 ten 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 

 sand-piper and snow-bunting. But mark what 

 is going on to-day: 



There is now pending (1903) in 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, it is stated that they found the fol- 

 lowing appalling mass of birds: 



8,058 Snow-Buntings! 

 7,607 Sand-Pipers! 

 5,218 Plover! 

 7,003 Snipe, 

 788 Yellow Legs, 



7,560 Grouse, 

 4,385 Quail, 

 1,756 Ducks, 

 288 BoboUnks, 

 96 Woodcock. 



And all this in one cold storage warehouse, for 

 poor, starving New York! 



To the public it was a profound surprise to 

 find that snow-buntings and sand-pipers were be- 

 ing slaughtered by thousands for food. At least 

 half a dozen species of song-birds are served on 

 bills of fare under the name of reed-bird. This 

 fact is equivalent to a notice that hereafter no 

 bird is safe from the deadly "market-shooter," 

 and only the strictest watch and the severest 

 measures will save any considerable portion of 

 our birds. 



Protect the Birds. — Young reader, learn to- 

 day that the birds are the natural protectors of 

 man and his crops from the hordes of insects 

 which without them ravage leaf, flower and 

 fruit. But for the hawks and owls, the wild 

 mice and rats soon would multiply into an in- 

 tolerable pest. But for the insectivorous birds, 

 destroying grubs and perfect insects by the 

 million, the life of the farmer, fruit-grower and 

 forester would be one long battle against the 

 pests of the insect-world. 



Learn that it is wise to encourage birds, as 

 well as to protect them from slaughter. A little 

 food intelligently bestowed is always accepted 

 as a token of friendship and hospitality. Any 

 country dweller can draw birds around him, if 

 he will. Why grudge a few simple shelter-boxes, 

 a few handfuls of grain, and a few pounds of 

 fat pork when in exchange for them you may 

 have, even in winter's dreariness, the woodpeck- 

 ers, chickadees, crows, and many other winter 

 "residents" and "visitants"? Surely, no right- 

 hearted man or boy can prefer solitude to the 

 company of cheerful and beautiful feathered 

 friends. 



Don't make Bird or E^ " collections."— 

 Learn to take broad views — bird's-eye views, 



