*7ith Uncle S^-J' s naturalists 



- 3 - 



10-7-32 



So, tlie sport snen and conservationists Got together smo. put throiigh a 

 Federal jligratory-Bird Law, Tais law passed in 1913 ^^ave the U. S. Department 

 of Agric^olture oov/er to fix closed seasons for migratory "birds. 



Colonel Sheldon tells us the effect of the Federal Act was iramGdiatc, TJater- 

 fo'vl and other r.ugratory birds showed a inarhcd increase. The birds went bad: to 

 breeding places which they :iad abandoned because of excessive shooting. 



But, of couxse, even a Federal law wasn't sufficient, Llany of our ni:;ratory 

 birds are no res;occters of national boundaries. Some birds spend their summers 

 in Canada and their winters in the United States, Others summer in the United 

 States and 'rinter in Mexico, or Central America, or even South America. The?/ fly 

 thousands of ..iles in getting from their summer homes to their winter homes. 

 They mal:c inany stops along the way, Protection in the United States is of little 

 value rithout protection in Canada, 



So, in 1916, our government made a treaty with Great Britain to protect 

 birds that fly bad': and forth between the United States and Canada, Both Canada 

 and the United States agreed to pass laws to protect some 500 different hinds 

 of migratory birds. 



The regule.tions set up by our goverament under this treaty raalre it ixilawiul 

 to kill migrator^' birds with guns bigger than !To, 10-gauge, They also prohibit 

 hunting or hilling birds from airplanes, power boats, or sailboats. They also 

 prevent the sale of migratory birds. 



In the past two or thjrec years the' Federal goveriraent ".las talren still a 

 further step to protect migratory birds. It lias enacted legislation givinf; au- 

 thority to set xsp a number of migratory bird sanctuaries. 



Many naturalists think the passenger pigeon died off partly because we 

 destroyed its breeding places aind food supply. It is plain that the same reasonr- 

 ing applies in the case of some other species. 



So, the Federal government is no^7 engaged in setting aside refuges as feed- 

 ing, oreeding, and resting grounds for migratory birds. Vast regions where 

 waterfov/1 were once abundant aire now useless because of drainage developments 

 and evaporation. But many of them can be restored to their natural condition, 

 and wnile tne work must proceed -very slowly, there is hor)e th^t enough mars-"- 

 areas may be saved in time to enable the wildfowl to escape the tragic fate t'.io.t 

 befell the pigeon, 



AlCTOUITCZISTT: You h^ve just heard a talk from Uncle Sam's naturalists in the 

 United States Department of Agric-alture on how the Federal Government is protect- 

 ing bird life, "^e will have another talk from the ITaturalists at this time two 

 weeks from today. 



