44 
FOREST AND STREAM 
July 12, 1913 
last would be stimulated by the passage of this 
provision. 
The statement that the passage of this law 
would stop the use and sale of flies in the 
United States seems foolish. Anyone who for 
one moment will stop to think about the matter 
knows very well that among the North American 
birds, which may legitimately be killed, there 
are many species whose feathers supply every¬ 
thing in the way of plumage which is required 
in fly tying. 
I am interested to see that it is reported 
from Washington that no change in the pro¬ 
vision above referred to is likely to be made 
by the Senate Finance Committee. 
A change much more dangerous, because so 
broad and vague as to render the whole law 
nugatory, has been proposed by the Senate 
Finance Committee. This provides that the 
feathers of those species of birds, which are 
killed for food or are killed as pests, may be 
imported. 
This is another appeal to the thoughtless 
and ignorant. Practically any bird may be killed 
for food, or as a pest. Certain Indian tribes 
declare that all birds are good for food and 
may be eaten, and the average small boy or 
Italian quite agrees with them. Take it even 
in its narrowest sense as applying only to game 
birds, the passage of this amendment would per¬ 
mit the importation and tend to the extermina¬ 
tion of many species of pheasants and grouse 
that are now becoming very rare, and would 
also admit all the shore birds, wildfowl and a 
multitude of small birds known to be most use¬ 
ful to the farmer because of their destruction 
of insects. It would take in all the herons and 
many of the song birds. 
A circular issued by the Audubon Society 
points out that in the South some people shoot 
mockingbirds because they eat grapes. In the 
North, strawberry growers kill catbirds and 
robins as pests. Herons and egrets are called 
pests by people who rear fish; in fact, the defi¬ 
nition of the word pest, as applied to birds, is 
left to the man who carries the gun. 
This last provision, introduced, I believe, by 
Senator Clapp, of Minnesota, should be fought 
hard. G. B. G. 
Hedgehogs. 
BY S. M. GRONBERGER. 
In the issue of Forest and Stream some 
time ago, there appeared, to the writer’s 
astonishment, the title of “Hedgehogs,” but 
without quotation marks in the original. Ex¬ 
pecting to find an interesting account or item re¬ 
lating to a long-missed, Old World friend of 
his, i. e., the European hedgehog, a closer glance 
at the communication convinced the writer that 
here was a fine opportunity for “butting in.” Of 
course, without the explanation afforded in the 
course of the communication re'ferred to, the 
writer of this would not have been able to con¬ 
jecture what species of animal was meant. 
It is not with the feeding habits or other 
peculiarities of the North American or Canada 
porcupine ( Erethizon dorsalus ), nor the bounty 
of fifteen, twenty-five or thirty cents apiece of¬ 
fered for its destruction that we are at present 
concerned. It is well known that this animal 
occurs throughout the Northeastern United 
States and Canada wherever virgin forests are 
to be found, and that it must be rather destruc¬ 
tive to saplings and standing timber there can 
be little doubt. It is questionable, however, 
whether so large a bounty as twenty-five or 
thirty cents per capita of animals killed would 
be justified, as this might lead to their total 
extinction. 
It is far too often true that the least dis¬ 
comfiture or damage caused by a wild animal 
to a farmer or other interested party results in 
the old cry of extermination, and after this 
object has been achieved, there is generally 
ample time for belated regret that shortsighted 
human selfishness should again have exacted an¬ 
other sacrifice of wild animal life. Again, in 
view of the rapidly diminishing number of 
species of mammals and birds in the United 
States, owing their destruction to the greed 
and selfishness of individuals fancying them¬ 
selves aggrieved and their interests menaced, it 
would, from a biological point of view, be bad 
policy to advocate the total extermination of 
any single species of animal of the size and com¬ 
parative rarity of the north American porcu¬ 
pine. Besides, this species will almost certainly 
face a natural extinction with the advance of 
human occupation and the clearing out of the 
forests. Let, therefore, those individuals who 
imagine themselves with a grievance go to work 
with a will, without the alluring prospect of a 
bounty, but with only the common welfare in 
view, and exterminate all the noxious rodents, 
English sparrows, etc., now infesting this coun¬ 
try, and they will have a job of extermination 
on their hands much more useful than any 
other, and moreover one which would leave 
them no time to worry over less annoying ani¬ 
mal nuisances. No, it is primarily not with the 
economical importance of this species that we 
are concerned; it is purely a question of nomen¬ 
clature and vernacular. 
As the writer in Forest and Stream prop¬ 
erly points out, the name “hedgehog” should not 
be applied to the North American porcupine. He 
is, of course, entirely right in this. The name 
“hedgehog” or “urchin” as used in England is 
an appellation improper enough for an animal 
belonging to the class of Inscctivora, i. e., the 
Erinaceus europceus of the Old World, without 
compounding the offense by applying it to a 
member of the family Cercolabidce of the sec¬ 
tion Hystricomorpha, or porcupines, of the sim- 
plicidentate rodents. The corruption and con¬ 
fusion of the American vernacular as applied to 
animal species is already grievous enough with¬ 
out adding one more such example to the long 
list, especially since the name “hedgehog,” as 
applied to Erethizon dorsatus, has not yet been 
generally adopted or recognized by the standard 
encyclopaedias and dictionaries. Let us hope it 
will not be. 
Nor should the term “chuck,” suggested by 
the correspondent of Forest and Stream be ap¬ 
plied to this rodent. The name “quillpig” is 
much better and more appropriate, although of 
course not without its serious objections. The 
name “chuck” is an abbreviated or “clipped” 
form of “woodchuck,” or the ground hog ( Arc - 
tomys monax ), and its use in the case of the 
Canada porcupine would only make confusion 
worse confounded. It is suggested that the old 
name of porcupine or the more popular ones of 
“porky” or “quillpig” be encouraged as open to 
fewer objections than the others, particularly 
as the misnomer of “hedgehog” has, as already 
stated, not yet had time to fasten itself on the 
national vocabulary, and the appellation of 
“chuck” has been merely suggested. 
The Economic Value of (he Song Birds. 
BY CASSIUS JOHNSTON, DIVISION CHIEF, EASTERN 
DIVISION, N. Y. STATE CONSERVATION 
COMMISSION. 
There is perhaps no question of more im¬ 
portance and receiving more attention at pres¬ 
ent than that of what is the best method to 
pursue to protect our forest trees, our fruit trees, 
our foliage and our agricultural crops from 
being devastated by the increasing number of 
insects. This heavy increase of insectivorous 
life calls for a tremendous demand on the Legis¬ 
lature of the State for the enactment of the 
most stringent laws to stamp out the evil. 
The damage annually to farm products 
amounts to nearly $800,000,000. The loss in New 
York State alone amounted last year to nearly 
$100,000,000. 
The robin, woodpecker, wren, bobolink, swal¬ 
low, the bobwhite and other well known song 
birds are among those fighting the insects. The 
fish and game clubs throughout the State have 
made wonderful progress in educating the peo¬ 
ple with respect to the game laws and song birds 
and their value. Nevertheless thousands of song 
birds are killed in violation of the law. Senti¬ 
ment is a great factor in the line of work for 
the preservation of our song birds, and every 
protector should put forth renewed efforts to 
keep a close watch on the song birds, and when 
an offender is apprehended, see that he is pun¬ 
ished to the limit. 
Fox Farming in Newfoundland. 
During the last few months great interest 
has been developed in fox farming. Some very 
high prices have been paid for live animals. 
One man bought a 'y° un g black fox last spring 
for $25 and sold it in the fall for $2,800. 
Up to date there have been taken out about 
136 licenses to start fox farms. There are about 
sixty in operation. In these there are at present 
about 200 foxes, silver patches and reds. 
It promises to be a large and profitable in¬ 
dustry if properly established at the beginning, 
and the Game Commission are making every 
possible effort to see that no abuses will creep 
in. They have prosecuted several people for 
breach of the law, and as the fine is very heavy 
now, the risk is too great for the “man on the 
street” to enter into any illicit fox hunting or 
dealing., and it is expected that after a year or 
two, this will prove to be a most remunerative 
business for those interested. W. J. C. 
Protection of Birds in the Canal Zone. 
By executive order, issued by President 
Wilson on March 19, 1913, the destruction of 
any plumage birds in the Canal Zone has been 
prohibited under heavy penalty for infraction. 
The order has been put into effect by the Canal 
Commission. 
On July 22-23 the American Forestry Asso¬ 
ciation will meet at Soo-Nipi Park Lodge, Lake 
Sunapee, N. H. Directors’ midsummer business 
meeting and forest investigation. 
