The Hawkeye Ornithologist axd Oologist. 



45 



^H08Ii0g¥.+^ 



Fur Utc Hawkcyf. 0. and 0. 



"PROTECT OUR BIRDS. 



BY E. G. WARD, THREE RIVERS, MASS. 



This is a familiar saying to many of 

 ns, but do all who hear it realize the 

 full meaning of these three words? I 

 fear not. It is a warning that all 

 should heed, and take active meas- 

 ures to help protect our feathered 

 friends. Are we aware how many 

 old as well as young persons are en- 

 gaged, in one way, or another, in help- 

 ing oij this wholesale destruction of 

 our birds? There are too many "so 

 called" collectors, who are taking the 

 egg.-; of our rarer species in great 

 numbers, either for parlor ornaments 

 or for speculation and our amatuer 

 papers are recording from month to 

 month ths wonderful luck some of 

 these parties are having in thus rob- 

 bing these birds. We read, "I took 

 four sets or five sets from this or that 

 kind of birds." as the case may be, as 

 though the party had accomplished 

 something wonderful, something that 

 will be of great importance to the 

 scientific world. Almost every vil- 

 lage and hamlet has one or more of 

 these collectors. Still the people won- 

 der why the birds aren't so plenty as 

 they were when they were young. 

 This "set' business is a nuisance and 

 all intelligent and honest collectors 

 should do all they can to stop this 

 wholesale business of collecting in 

 sets by every new tyro. Next come 

 the taxidermists, who kill birds and 

 mount them to sell as the grocer sells 

 sugar and tea. You will meet 

 them in the country searching for 

 scarlet tanagers and other highly 

 colored birds, because they bring 

 higher prices in market, either as 

 parlor ornaments or to deck the 

 hat of some city belle, who must have 

 everything that fashion dictates,even 



if it does take the life of an innocent 

 and harmless bird. I am sorry to say 

 that the demands of fashion are so 

 strong that even our country cousins 

 are willing to fall into line and thus 

 assist indirectly in depopulating our 

 fields and meadows of these beautiful 

 birds. Then these very same people 

 will wonder why there are so many 

 worms and insects, and they will say 

 that our insect pests are rapidly in- 

 creasing and we shall soon be eaten 

 up if something isn't done. We say 

 something must be done. "In Mas- 

 sachusetts, we have laws that will 

 cover the ground," some one says. 

 Yes we have, but they are like a good 

 many laws on our Statute Books, no 

 one is willing to enforce them. Let 

 us show our better nature and each 

 one do all he or she can to bring into 

 disfavor indiscriminate set collecting 

 and the fashion of wearing birds on 

 the hats and bonnets of our lady 

 friends. Another source of trouble 

 is our Game Laws which appear to 

 protect our game birds, but were 

 really made in the interest of our city 

 sportsmen and gun clubs. The law 

 forbids the farmers hooting partridge 

 on his own farm, during certain sea- 

 sons of the year, even if they are ds- 

 stroying the buds on his fruit trees. 

 It also forbids the farmer's boy from 

 trapping or snaring this bird during 

 any season of the year. But when 

 this law is "off," the city sportsmen 

 can take their dogs and scour the 

 country for miles, allowing them 

 to chase the farmers 1 sheep and clean- 

 ing oi t all the birds the law is sup- 

 posed to protect. No wonder there 

 is such a scarcity of all kinds of birds. 

 Every thing seems to be against 

 them. We should teach the young 

 to love and protect all of (rod's crea- 

 tures from the smallest to the great- 

 est. After we have created a healthy 

 sentiment in that direction, then will 

 come a change, and not till then. 

 All consistent students of ornithology 

 and oology should do their best to 

 bring about this change for the bet- 

 ter protection of our birds. 



