312 
Published Weekly by the 
Forest and Stream Publishing Company 
'has. A. Hazen, President Charles L. Wise, Treasurer 
V. G. Beecroft, Secretary Russell A. Lewis, Gen. Mgr. 
22 Thames Street, New York. 
CORRESPONDENCE:—Forect and Stream it the re- 
(ognized medium of entertainment, instruction and in- 
ormation between American sportsmen. The editors 
nvite communications on the subjects to which its pages 
are devoted, but, of course, are not responsible for the 
views of correspondents. Anonymous communications 
cannot be regarded. 
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DESTROYING GAME UNDER EXCUSE OF 
WAR. 
According to information received from the. 
western Provinces of Canada, there is a move¬ 
ment on foot to cancel all game licenses, the 
idea being that hunters can then go forth freely 
and kill game, particularly wild ducks, with 
which to supply the markets. The excuse is that 
Canada, being in a state of war, or connected 
with an Empire which is in a state of war, will 
need all the food supply that can be obtained. 
While war levels everything and reverses nor¬ 
mal conditions, it seems to us that a move of the 
character named is utter nonsense. To begin 
with the proportion of wild game that enters 
into the total of food supply is so small as to 
be negligible, and would continue to be so, even 
if license laws were removed. 
Far be it from us to oppose any move that 
will enable our good Canadian neighbors to use 
and enjoy the products of their own country, 
now above all other times, but to go out and 
slaughter game just because war is waging 3,000 
miles across the water appears to be the height 
of absurdity. 
If Canada possesses citizens so patriotic that 
they desire to devote their efforts toward add¬ 
ing to the food supply, we suggest that they di¬ 
rect their energy toward more certain and prof¬ 
itable lines. Canada is not suffering for food, 
nor is there one chance in a million that her 
people will feel the effects of war in this partic¬ 
ular. 
We are very much afraid that while the plea 
for relaxing the game laws is made under the 
cloak of patriotism, the real intent is some¬ 
thing more selfish and not nearly so disinter¬ 
ested in character. To destroy a live asset in 
the form of game worth many millions of dol¬ 
lars in order to furnish a few extra pounds of 
dead poultry or venison is poor policy, no mat¬ 
ter which way we look at the proposal. 
VAULE OF BIRDS ON THE FARM. 
The value of birds on the farm lies in the 
service they render in the destruction of weed 
seeds, rodents and insects. 
FOREST AND STREAM 
Someone has said that “a weed is a plant out 
of place,” and if this be true, some plants seem 
to have a well established habit of getting out 
of their proper sphere and into cultivated land. 
As a single plant of certain garden weeds may 
produce as many as 100,000 seeds in a season, 
if unchecked, these would soon become a de¬ 
cided menace to crops. 
While the hoe and the cultivator may help 
to keep down the weeds on the farm, they still 
continue to grow in waste lands, and along road¬ 
sides, and from there eventually spread to the 
cultivated lands. It is in just such places that 
birds are often most abundant, and so they play 
an important part in checking this increase. In 
fact, the seed-eating birds are among the most 
effective agents in the warfare against weeds, 
for they attack these pests in the critical seed 
period, and thus help to prevent their further 
spread. While a few seeds are simply scattered 
by birds, in nearly all cases they are destroyed. 
Dr. Judd, of the Biological Survey, says: “No 
less than fifty different birds act as weed de¬ 
stroyers, and the noxious plants which they help 
to eradicate number more than three score 
species.” 
Among the weeds commonly destroyed by birds 
are tarweed, turkey mullein, alfilaria, pigweed, 
knotweed, thistle and duckweed. Great numbers 
of seeds are often consumed by birds even in a 
single meal. The stomach of one sparrow con¬ 
tained 1,000 seeds of pigweed, while two other 
birds had taken 300 and 700 seeds of various 
kinds. Prof. Beal, of the United States De¬ 
partment of Agriculture, has estimated that the 
tree sparrow of Iowa will destroy, during the 
year, 875 tons of weed seeds. 
Among the weed destroyers our native sparrows 
are unrivaled, weed seeds forming more than 
half of their food for the year. The value of 
sparrows to the farmer is increased by the fact 
that during the summer, and especially in the 
nesting season, they also eat many injurious in¬ 
sects. The young birds are fed almost entirely 
on insect food, including such pests as cater¬ 
pillars, weevils, grasshoppers, cutworms and ants. 
The one member of the sparrow family, which 
seems to be alike despised by both birds and 
man, is the imported English sparrow. While 
a few insects and weed seeds are eaten by these 
birds, the little good thus done cannot compare 
with the harm which they do, especially in driving 
out the useful insect and seed-eating birds. The 
English sparrows also destroy fruit and grain, 
and are a decided pest wherever they are found. 
The distinguishing mark of the male English spar¬ 
row is the large black patch on the throat and 
breast. 
Among the other birds which hold a high place 
as weed destroyers are the goldfinches or “wild 
canaries,” as they are commonly called. They 
often destroy certain weeds not usually taken 
by other birds, being especially fond of thistle 
seeds. For this reason they are sometimes given 
the name “thistle birds.” 
One of the game birds, the mourning dove, is 
especially worthy of mention as a useful seed¬ 
eating bird. While the dove sometimes takes 
grain, most of this seems to be waste grain 
taken after harvesting is over. These birds are 
most abundant, however, in waste lands where 
weeds abound, turkey mullein forming one of 
their favorite foods, while tumble weed and 
mustard are also eaten extensively. 
The immense numbers of weed seeds destroyed 
by these birds is shown in the fact that the 
stomach of one dove contained 9,200 seeds of 
different weeds, while the stomachs of two other 
doves contained 6,400 and 7,500 respectively. If 
three doves at one meal can destroy 23,100 weed 
seeds and thus prevent the spread of that many 
noxious weeds, how much good could be accom¬ 
plished by the doves on one farm in one county 
or throughout the State. 
In the United States alone the annual loss from 
weeds has been estimated at $400,000,000. In the 
face of these startling figures we can well realize 
the importance of protecting the useful seed-eat¬ 
ing birds, one of nature’s best means of checking 
just such losses. 
The United States Department of Agriculture says: 
“The free marketing of wild game leads swiftly to extermination” 
The Wild Life Protective 
Vot0S League of America 
PASADENA. CALIFORNIA 
Yes 
NON-SALE OF GAME. Act amending Penal Code section 626k, 
submitted to electors by referendum. Declares the buying, selling, ship¬ 
ping, offering or exposing for sale, trade or shipment, of any wild game, 
bird, or animal (except rabbits and wild geese), protected by law and 
mentioned in part I, title XV, Chapter I of Penal Code, or the dead body 
of same or any part thereof, a misdemeanor; prescribes punishment there¬ 
for; and declares section does not prohibit sale of wild duck from Novem¬ 
ber 1st to December 1st of same year. 
Yes 
X 
No 
Election November 3, 1914 
The wild life and game of California is one of its greatest assets* 
Vote YES and save it from extinction. 
“A Word to the Wise.” 
