Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1846-02-06
the Editors Of The Enquirer:
THE BLACK-BIRD BILL.

BIRDS MEET, NOItndlipton ~, =" -
Messrs. Editors -Whc recently taking
bird's-eye-view Of proceedings in our Leeisla,,
ture. YOU will readily imagine my surprise and
CONSERVATION on beholdins the introduction OF a
OH for The destruction OF Uack-birds in The conn'
t. Of Northa mpton and, what most particularly,
panied me, this startling proposition was moved
by a gentleman from whom we had a rlghl 10
expecl better lhings-the member from ms very
county. Without the slightest exagsefauoh' lnis
may he Justly called a subject OF vital import
ance 10 Inc whole species 10 which ! belons-a
question OF life and death. ! cannot easiiy con,
ceive VIVA, unfriendly spiiit comic nave aetuats"
the mind Of the mover o! this biH, lor we ale va,
conscious OF ever having done suihclent Wions. =
,ns,iiv 60 stringent, a measure. II is true that, IN
DAYS Of wore. our wise tore-tathers OF The iealhcl-
ed tribe were fond Of INDUCING quiie iieely IN
philosophical dispuiations upon what seemed ~
ihan m he The vices and iollies OF MANKIND, al
which were carefully noted down By !neif re-
porter. Esop: but, since that ume, nha'ns 'nd,
fbe;r orea, lessons Of moral ruth were treated
with Contempt. and even denounced as iapies,
their descendants have felt constrained, ny d nc,
coming sense Of selt-resreci, to aosiain ron an
further interference in the affairs VI men. iHe
;ncons;derate aim Of the lille lruan' urchin,
who ,,ayrrsss The fields with aspirations Tor no
b;,her game han ourselves, We have generally
,nanaoed 10 eyade, an, ieli disposed 10 pardon, as
ono ~ ,he cccen,ricilies Of youth; but, leve!led
,s MS ;s with mature legislative delibera,ion,
iowa rds ,be to,al extinction ui our race, | must
say liza, j; is truly 10 be deprecated. | had often
hear mention o. Tie Aoo4g Ji!, and had supposed
,h,, II naturally belonged 10 a hawk, or some
other rayenous bird Of prey, ta, never had !
once imagined tha. slch an appendase could DC
appropFialed by men, although occasionally
hear il said ,ha, such and such a man is "a per-
feet bid | kuow no other way oil accounting
fol this bloody moyemen' than by ascrioins 10 us
author a disposition 10 cater Tor The lastidlous dp-
DeiItes Of his constituents, who ale doubtless
supposed 10 be sovereigns Of similar tastes 10 nose
Of The royal parsonage, whose festivities have
bean celebrated by The great p~oeiical enemy Of
orr tribe in those lines OF immoIis NURSERY noto-
"sinr a song Of sixpence, n pocket fuil OF rye,
Four ari ;1eG,y black birds made into q pie
When the pie was opened, the birds began 10 sing, :,
Now ia this not a dainty dish 10 set before Tue N'hs
II NAV be. however, that the worthy members
organ OF destructiveness has been moroidiy eS-
and his bellicosc propensilies brought into
actign hy The great sensation which p%ervades Inc
and fearing lest The expected arrival by the Hioer,
MIA should bring news Of a pacific character, ana
thereby blight his hopes Of slauehier, ne at once DE.
sc,nded (oh stranged eclensiOnO from The roar oil
cannon. the clesh Of swords. the blast Of trumpets,
and The carnage oflhe battlefield, from which ne no
doubt Justly expected 10 return with his "hlnshine
honors thick upon him" 10 the more juvenile
warfare Of popping black birds. Had The attack
been made upon nobler game-lhe proving vol,
the terror Of The shcep-told, the voracious hawk,
Inc eagle or the crow-our little voices would not
warblc in complaint. But the fiat has gone
forth we are its victims: and but one altefna-
live is left us-death or departure. We have Ia
ken The matter into serious considerations; and,
strong as is orr attachment 10 dear old North
ampton, the place OF our nativity, where resi- ihe
bones of our ancestors, we have concluded 10 Sc
yer the lies, and have resolved on emigration:
oSos pa,rie fines; ct dulcia linquimus arva;
Nos pstriam fnglmus.'
With the unfortuna.a Adherbal, we exclalm,
"Whilher-Oh! whittier shall we fy3" True,
there are many fields still open 10 US. Oregon
holds out strong inducements, but we should not
feel exactly safe under the joint occupancy. Ca
~lifornia offers many temptations, but we are un-
acquainted with the language, and would prefer
a roos!ing place beneath the broad panoply oil
American protection Upon the whole, We
think ii probably best 10 perch among the land
speculalors OF Texas. Inasmuch, then, as our
LEGISLATORS have done US so much injury, we
would ask them 10 instruct our Senators and KEEP
resen,atiyes in Congress TO vote for the grant Oh
| \ few sections Of land for the location of a black
bird roost in some remote corner OF that Stale.
AS is usual with many of the laws passed by
our Legislature, This is one OF doubtful inierpreta'
lion consequently, much diversity OF opinion
and orni,hological discussion have arisen among
the birds supposed 10 be affected by II, upon The
| proper application of,hc Noody 6iR; some of them
Claiming exemption on The score that, although
they are Mqcl-birds in every sense, still il is moi
their habit to pull up corn-whilst others, whc
acknowledge The corn" claim exemption on the
ground that they are not Haek-birds, because lheiI
| wings are red. This great difficulty can only be
obyiated by The passage OF a declaratory act, de-
fning particularly The sort OF Feather" contem'
| plated by The bill. +,
For my own part, gentlemen, am SO much
| shocked by "men's inhumanity," that ] am now
ready 10 exclaim with a kindred spirit, "Oh, Tor 4
mes. in some vast wilderness" | have determined
10 remain no longer in public, believing that
shall be much more happy and quite as useful II
retirement. To most OF my political prosecutors
would recommend The immediate imitation o
nv example; some Of them, perhaps, when they
shall have learned wisdom, will be ready 10 say
Thrice happy bird. | TOO have seen
Much oilhe vaniiies of men;
And, sick of having seen EN-,
Would cheertully these limbs resign
For sucha par Of m,ngs as thine,
And such a head between1em.