THE DISAPPEARANCE OF WILD LIFE 51 



spores are not destroyed in the digestive tracts of other carrion-feeding 

 animals, as the dog, cat, hog, chicken or possum. ' ' 



"It is true that buzzards may carry the germs of anthrax or other 

 stock disease on their plumage, feet or bills, and thus distribute them; 

 but all the other animals just mentioned may similarly carry disease 

 germs on the surface of their bodies, as may also flies, domestic pigeons 

 and other poultry, horses, mules and cattle, not to mention members of 

 the human family. In fact at the same time that steps are being taken 

 greatly to reduce or exterminate a wild bird — (the buzzard) — which may 

 possibly play a minor part in the transmission of anthrax, farmers are 

 harboring several domestic animals which have far greater possibilities 

 as spreaders of the disease. The fact that anthrax may be carried by 

 flies is more than sufficient to explain the most severe epidemics." 



"The charge that the buzzard spreads hog cholera has never been 

 demonstrated, and until this is done judgment should be suspended." 



Pelicans, gulls and other sea-birds which inhabit the gulf 

 coast region of Texas, are now threatened with extermination by 

 having the protection of the law removed from them, the crime 

 of which they are accused being the loss to the fishing industry 

 of this State on account of the destruction of fish by these birds. 

 The pelican is one of the predaceous birds which feeds largely 

 on fish, but it is also a fact that a large portion of the fish they 

 catch are NOT edible, and that some of them are far more de- 

 structive to the fish and oyster industries, than the pelicans them- 

 selves. Numerous sharks, tarpon, porpoises and other sea mon- 

 sters which frequent the passes, with gars, turtles and other very 

 destructive creatures which abound in the bays and shallow 

 waters, are continually preying upon and destroying great quan- 

 tities of food fishes and their spawn. Why not place a bounty 

 on them? Pelicans do not live entirely on fish. They catch 

 and consume great quantities of harmful aquatic creatures, which 

 are injurious to the fishing industry, by destroying eggs, spawn 

 and millions of minnows and tiny fishes. Why not give them 

 credit for this ? Not one person in a hundred who is in favor of 

 "giving the devil his due" is in favor of extending the same 

 courtesy to the pelicans and other sea birds, for any good they do. 



Mr. W. h. McAtee, of the United States Biological Survey, 

 says: 



"There is no denying that pelicans consume a certain number of food 

 fishes, but even if the birds consumed indiscriminately all kinds of fishes 

 that came their way, they would not be highly destructive to FOOD fishes, 

 since these fishes themselves are much in the minority among fish in 

 general. ' ' 



Congressman Jeff McLemore, Editor of State Topics, who 

 resided on the coast for many years, in a recent article on this 

 subject, said : 



