iij^o^states 

 ^ department'^ 

 of agriculture 



IN FORMATION^ 



V:IT:-I jTCLZ SA],I'S ITAJURALIglS 



L I B H A i ' 



->r OCi " > ' 



s 



REL3AS?. Fridy/. October 24.1930 



■AM^'OqNCESlirT; Once more the Wilds llan is with us. He has just corne 

 froiTi another of those visits with Uncle San's l>Tat\iralists. He has "been 

 angli^ig for facts he tells us, and has bro'oght home quite a ness of thari — 



But he promises us what he .r.ay sa;/ about fishes is no fish tale well, 



Mr. !7ild5 Han, show us your string 



Old Ike Walton used to sa;^'" that the art of angling begat habits 

 of peace and patience in those that professed and practiced it. Fishing, 

 he described, as "a calmer of unquiet tho'oghts, a /.loderator of passions, 

 a producer of contentedness, " 



From what I can gather, some of his latter-day disciples have 

 lost that "calmness of spirit," They have gotten all worked up about some 

 of the birds that also like fish. Tliey are not content. 



They know that immense numbers of trout trrj have been planted in 

 certain streams. Those fish fry have disappeared. V.^iat ' s become of them. 

 Who got them? 



Some sportsmen and commercial fisherman have looked around for a 

 culprit. Naturally, their eyes fell L-v/.ediately on the fish-eating birds, 

 3 specially on the great blue heron. There he wades on those long legs 

 of his, with that sharp bill of his, rea^'- for business. Or there he rises 

 on those big wings. He is often tho big.,est, most conspicuous fellow hanging 

 around. And he does eat fish. 



The evidence seems as plain as in the case of Cock Robin after the 

 j^parrow coiifessed. But before we mob tho beautiful great blue heron, or any 

 other fish-eating bird, I want to call one witness. That's Mr. W, L, 

 McAtee, of the tMited States Biolo^-ical Survey. I call him because ho 

 probably has mdre inside infonaation about birds than any other nan living, 



3ut before wo go into the evidence, lot's have a clear und jratandi'.ig 

 of the charges. Thd great blue hpron and other fish-eating birds are accused 

 of responsibility for the mysterious disappearance of certain fishes. What 

 fishes? 



Bear that in mind, please, That»s important. The great blue heron 

 is charged with making away with valuable fishos, such as trout. Also 

 bear in mind the place where the crLme is supposed to have been co.:i dtted^ 

 that is, in certain natural streams wliere trout fry have been planted. 



