born's "Birds and their Relation to Man," Forbush's "Useful Birds and their Protection," Hornaday's "American Natural History," pamphlets of Department of Agriculture (which may be obtained free from Washington, D.C., and from State Departments of Agriculture), and articles on birds and insects in Encyclopedias. 73. Causes of decrease in bird life. Certainly enough has been said to show that when all things are considered birds are exceedingly useful to man. One would therefore expect that every possible means would be taken to protect all kinds of valuable birds. Yet what do we find? "Today the first thing to be taught is the fact that from this time henceforth all birds must be protected, or they will all be exterminated. To-day, it is a safe estimate that there is a loaded cartridge for every living bird. Each succeeding year produces a new crop of gun-demons, eager to slay, ambitious to make records as sportsmen or collectors. If a bird is so unfortunate as to possess plumes, or flesh which can be sold for ten cents, the mob of pot-hunters seeks it out, even unto the ends of the earth." HORNADAY'S "The American Natural History." A careful investigation made in 1897 for the New York Zoo 1 logical Society showed that during the fifteen years between 1883 and 1898 in all but four states the number of birds had strikingly decreased. For example, in New York State the decrease was 48 per cent, or almost one half; in Florida it was over three fourths, while the average for the whole country was 46 per cent. Among the principal reasons given by the 180 careful observers who assisted Dr. Hornaday in the foregoing inquiry were the following: " (1) sportsmen and so-called sportsmen, (2) boys who shoot, (3) market hunters and pot-hunters, (4) plume-hunters and milliners' hunters, . . . (6) egg-collecting, chiefly by small boys, (7) English sparrow, . . . (9) Italians, and others, who devour song birds." 74. Destruction of birds by cats. "As the cat is not an actual necessity, and as it is a potent carrier of contagious diseases, which it spreads, particularly among children, it would be far better for the community if most of the birdkilling cats now roaming at large could be painlessly disposed of. . . . Where the cat is deemed necessary in farm or village, no family should keep more than one good mouser, which should never be allowed to have its liberty during the breeding season of birds. . . . Cats can be confined during the day in outdoor cages as readily as rabbits, and given the run of the house at night."- FORBUSH, "Useful Birds and their Protection." 75. Destruction of birds by boys. One of the most serious menaces to our native bird life is the small boy who has the "egg-collecting fever." All the eggs he can find in his keen-eyed searches through the woods and fields are 1 Kansas, Wyoming, Utah, and Washington were the only states that showed an increase in bird life. destroyed to increase his collection. If this served any really useful purpose, the resulting wholesale destruction of birds might possibly have some justification. But ninety-nine out of a hundred of these collections are soon forgotten and become useless without having made any real contribution to the knowledge of the possessor. The small boy, too, unfortunately carries his destructive work among birds still further, as the following typical incident will show. A biologist reports meeting near Washington, D.C., "one such youngster, and upon examining his game bag found it absolutely full of dead bodies of birds which he had killed since starting out in the morning. item alone consisted of seventy-two ruby and golden-crowned kinglets. The fellow boasted of having slain over one hundred catbirds that season." One 76. Destruction of birds for food. In the early days of the white settlements in North America, the game birds like the grouse and duck were abundant and they were of necessity killed, as were other wild animals, for food. Later on began the killing of birds for sport. As the forests were cut down, the birds had less and less protection, and had not legislation intervened, the game birds would long since have been exterminated. As it is, they have been killed faster than they breed; and this means ultimate extermination. To this destruction of game birds for food, in more recent times has been added the wholesale slaughter of many of our smaller birds like the thrushes, sparrows, warblers, and woodpeckers. It is claimed that this has been largely due to the demands of our immigrant population in the North and to the negroes in the South. "However, there is scarcely a hotel in New Orleans," says Professor Nehrling, "where small birds do not form an item on the bill of fare. At cer tain seasons the robin, wood thrush, thrasher, olive-backed thrush, hermit thrush, chewink, flicker, and many of our beautiful sparrows form the bulk of the victims; but catbirds, cardinals, and almost all small birds, even swallows, can be found in the markets." - Even 77. Destruction of birds for millinery purposes. more ruthless than the slaughter of birds for food by boys and by men is that caused by the demand for birds for millinery purposes. Here the final responsibility rests upon women alone. A single dealer in the South declared that in the course of a single year he handled 30,000 bird skins, the largest part of which were used in the decoration of hats. The Florida egret heron (Fig. 75) has been practically exterminated for this purpose. "Twenty years ago," says Chap FIG. 75. Egret, nest, and young. (Courtesy National Audubon Society.) man, "it was abundant in the South, now it is the rarest of its family. The delicate' aigrettes' which it donned as a nuptial dress were its death warrant. Woman demanded from the bird its wedding plumes, and man has supplied the demand. The Florida herons or egrets have gone, and now he is pursuing the helpless birds to the uttermost parts of the earth. Mercilessly they are shot down at their roosts or |