70 
BY THE WAYSIDE 
BIRD PROTECTION IN AMERICA 
By G. A. Racth 
“Why all this agitation and state of 
unrest because of a few birds?” “Why 
not devote our time to something more 
practical, whereby we can all be bene- 
' ted?” “Why protect the ducks in 
spring when the same can be shot in an¬ 
other state?” These are some of the 
points of argument coming from the lips 
of some of our patriotic citizens of this 
country. Little does this class of peo¬ 
ple realize, nor do they care to give a 
willing ear to the truth, that the birds 
are rapidly decreasing in numbers and 
that immediate available means must be 
taken to save from extirpation many 
species of birds. On every hand we 
hear of the loyal support now given and 
the large sums of money spent by soci¬ 
eties, associations, publishers of periodi¬ 
cals and game commissioners in ade¬ 
quately protecting and restoiing to a 
normal level the well being of bird life. 
Often indeed, have the readers of The 
Wayside been acquainted with the causes 
of bird diminution and “why all this 
agitation and state of unrest” has 
gained as strong a foothold in almost 
every state of the nation. Let us review 
some of the conditions and causes of bird 
extermination. It is natural then that 
the cliief causes of bird destruction 
should be outlined first. In Wisconsin, 
as well as in other states, we hear of how 
the foreigner unhesitatingly kills song 
birds and in some instances, where the 
sale of birds is not restricted, barrels of 
savagely butchered songsters are offered 
for sale on the market. Then there is 
the market hunter who kills for profit 
only and cares nothing about what the 
future might bring. The plume hunter, 
the most brutal and heartless man living 
among gunners, still manages to evade 
the law in some localities. lie is the 
fellow, who, in order to satisfactorily 
fulfill madam’s love for bird feathers 
akin with the habits of the savage, has 
slaughtered countless hundreds of grebes i 
and egrets and left the young birds 
without their parental help to starve and 
tc die inch by inch. As a representa¬ 
tive of this class we see in the person of 
Herbert La Priath of Portland, Oregon, 
who died some time ago and left to his 
son $80,000 in cash, a fit example. This 
money it is said was gained by killing 
and selling the plumes and skins of 
grebes, pelicans, white herons and other 
birds in spite of the fact that Oregon 
prohibits the killing and selling of the 
plumage of birds mentioned. 
The “so-called sportsman” too, with 
his automatic gun, trained dog and 
other hunting devices, and who knows 
no limit to his bag of game birds may be 
listed here. To some of us he is known 
as a “game hog” or “pot hunter. H 
Other causes for which man can directly 
or indirectly be held responsible, when 
sneaking of the extermination of our| 
birds, are these: 
The burning of timber lands; the cut-' 
ting off of timber and shrubbery; the| 
draining of marshes, etc.; the collection! 
of eggs and specimens of birds; the gun | 
clubs; the hunting contests or “side 
hunting;” the destruction clone to nest¬ 
ing sites by farmers when mowing, plow¬ 
ing or cutting grain or weeds; the 
growth of civilization; the stretching of 
telephone, telegraph and other wires-, 
the rapid means of traveling into hunt-j 
ing districts by way of automobiles, 
steam and electric roads, etc.; and care- 
