NATURAL HISTORY. 



225 



A FUTURE ORNITHOLOGIST. 



Pasadena, Cal., May 25th 98. 

 Dear mr. G O Shields 



I want to know if you won't give me 

 your good help to stop this destruction of 

 these poor little innocent birds that flys 

 in the beautiful air which makes life sweet 

 for the human race by their sweet song that 

 comes from their little throats. The boys 

 of Pasadena are cruel to go and take their 

 eggs. 1000 and 2000 of eggs are taken 

 ever year and now birds are scarce and are 

 dying by hundred and no eggs to hatch. 

 The poor mother bird looses her eggs and 

 nest. The people of California will be 

 sorry of this crueal act yet after it it is to 

 late. If this keeps on dear Editor half of 

 my nature is ruined for I am in for all of 

 wild nature I can get not to help distroy. It 

 will end in the same way the buffalo has 

 and the mule deer and elk of Humboldt 

 Co. has if it isant stopped. They have 

 killed off the ducks deer rabits and quail 

 now are killing off the birds for wings to 

 put on hats and takeing the eggs and all the 

 nest. In about 4 familys you will find 7000 

 or 8000 eggs. This wicked, cruel, robbery, 

 mean, and if it isant stopped every body 

 ought to go into the business and get rid 

 of these poor little birds for that is just 

 what they are trying to do all right enough. 

 The poor little birds that flys that night 

 Joes not think her nice beautiful eggs and 

 nice little home all lined nice and cozy will 

 be taken next morning by that boy who 

 has been watching it for sometime. They 

 can all talk of extermating all the other 

 game but I protect the birds as well. The 

 League American Sportsmen must take this 

 up and you to Editor and put a stop to 

 this. I want to hear from your readers of 

 Recreation on this subject through its 

 colms and if you never publish any thing I 

 ever write I wish you would please be so 

 kind to publish this for my sake. Put it 

 in my July number if not in June and sign 

 my name to it. Have all of the subscripers 

 talk on this subject. I will fight for this to 

 be stopped. I will organize a clup of Cali- 

 fornia for the Protection of birds if noth- 

 ing else such as C. P. of M. B. for I am not 

 alone in this protection California Protec- 

 tion of Mother Birds for the purpose of 

 Protection of them and their eggs. Well 

 I will close Yours truly 



Arthur J. Thompson. 



I print this letter verbatim et literatim, 

 in order to show that in this wicked world 

 there is one boy who takes the proper view 

 of the question of preserving our song and 

 insectivorous birds. 



Master Thompson does not say how old 

 he is, though I fear he is not yet of such 

 an age as to be eligible for membership in 

 the L. A. S. I trust, however, that as soon 

 as he arrives at the age of 15, he will join 

 the League. Meantime he should advise 



all his boy friends who are of that age, 

 and all the men of his acquaintance, to 

 join. This is destined to be the most 

 powerful organization, for the purpose 

 of protecting the birds and mammals of 

 the country, that has ever been organ- 

 ized. We hope soon to have a sufficient 

 number of members in California to or- 

 ganize a state division there, and to start 

 the work of California game protection in 

 a practical way. I have requested Mr. W. 

 T. Hornaday, Director of the New York 

 Zoological Society, to send Master Thomp- 

 son several copies of his recent report on 

 the destruction of birds, in order that they 

 may be distributed among the vandals who 

 are destroying birds' nests. It is earnestly 

 hoped that every boy who gets a copy of 

 that report will read it carefully and heed 

 the warning it gives. — Editor. 



REMEDIES FOR SNAKE BITE. 



Houston, Tex. 



Editor Recreation: in April Recrea- 

 tion Mr. Greene, of Bethlehem, Pa., cites 

 a case where the old time remedy, whiskey, 

 failed to save the life of an intoxicated man 

 bitten by a rattle-snake. In the first place 

 whiskey does not counteract or kill the 

 poison of snakes. It simply stimulates the 

 man and keeps him alive until his system 

 has time to eliminate it. In the case cited 

 it is quite evident that the man's system, 

 when bitten, was below the normal condi- 

 tion, having been previously stimulated to a 

 maximum degree and reaction had already 

 taken place. The fact of his being bitten 

 in the forehead should not be lost sight of. 

 Should the fangs puncture a large artery or 

 vein, thus throwing the poison directly into 

 the circulation, no remedy would be of any 

 avail. 



If G. wants a good treatment for rattle- 

 snake, or any other poisonous snake bite, 

 the following have proven satisfactory after 

 many and varied trials: No. 1. Lloyds 

 Specific Tincture Echinacea angustorum, 

 given in teaspoonful doses every hour; also 

 making a free incision where the fangs have 

 punctured the skin and applying a dressing 

 wet with the medicine. 



No. 2. Make a clean cut where the fangs 

 have entered, say about 2 inches long and 

 y 2 to one inch deep according to size of 

 snake. Then fill the wound with Potassium 

 Permanganate and give the man all the 

 whiskey or brandy he can drink. No. 2 

 leaves a wound that heals much slower than 

 No. 1. Either will save life if used in time 

 and done thoroughly. The Specific Tinct- 

 ure of Echinacea is put up by Lloyd Bros., 

 Cincinnati, O., with full directions on each 

 bottle. , Edward L. Fox, M. D., 



Houston, Tex. 



If you would live next to nature, read 

 Recreation. 



