Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1857-09-15
COMMUNICATION
FOB THE PROTECTION OF THE GAME OF
TENNESSEE.-No IA.

FOB THE PROTECTION OF THE GAME OF
TENNEsSEE.-No. A.
promised to direct the attention of the reader
again to birds of song and plumage.
This class of birds should excite the tender rgard
Of every human being, from several considerations
In the first place, they are perfectly harmless,
while at the same time they are very useful, from
the fact that they prey continually on worms and
all kinds of insects, and consequently do much in
protecting grains and all kinds of vegetation from
their ravages. Any man, if he will for one hour
observe the character of the food that the parent
bird brings to her young, cannot but be impressed
with the utility of this class of birds The grass
hopper, caterpillar, grub-wOrm, army worm, cut
worms and in fact every description of worm is
brought by the old bird to the nest for the young.
But their usefulness is not all that is in their favor
their cheerful industry is inspiring and instructive
While tLey are beautiful to look upon, when hop
ping from limb to limb and from bough to bough,
or swimming round on the wing or alighting in the
yard, aud nOiselessly passing and fro, gathering
up every little decaying mOrsel of fool that has
fallen about the house, which, if let alone, would
but tend in its decay to poison the air; but their
usefulness and beauty is not all. They charm you
with their music. What is there in nature which
will sOoth and cheer the heart more than the singing
of birds? They beantify our grounds, they serve
very efficiently and sing for US most sweetly and
have wonderful fondness for the habitation of
man. And while l see bose boys and worthless
lazy fellows shooting down the mocking bird, jay,
thrush, cat bird and other small BIRDS it is abso-
Init ~ nd I how 10 ali
that the Legislature will protect them.
Since have been writing these numbers, find
that have touched subject that has been
thought about by large portion of our citizens
the catching of fish with sein and traps and killing
of birds of plumage and song is everywhere com
planned against, and find quite a number of per-
sons who desire protection for quite a number of
animals and birds which l have not embraced,
though have succeeded in convincing, may say,
to all that have spoken to on the subject that
have asked for protection in every instance where
protection was really called for.
The mode of protection which will have to be re-
sorted to in the event that the Legislature fail to
pass some general law do not admire-which is
the posting of grounds and streams, which would
lead to the creation of privileged classes in the way
of sport. want every man, whether he owns d
stream Of water not, and those who may not pos
foot Of land, to have rights with regard to
fish and game generally; but l do not want any
to have the right TO kill that which, in the first
place, does not belong to him, unless it would do
him harm while living, or be of some service to him
when dead The birds which | am defending in
this number are of this class for 10 say the least
Of them, they do no harm while living, and are of
no manner service when dead
The mocking bird, which is common to our cOun-
try, would soon become great ornament if they
were permitted to live; but notwithstanding they
not fit 10 eat and are singers of great value yet
they are as likely to be torn in pieces by the shot
Of some silly wicked person as any other bird A
gentleman in the neighbOrhood of the city told me
that he believed that not less than twenty had been
dispatched in grove of trees near his house during
the summer, and to make the matter worse, they
had killed q which he would not have taken
seventy-fve dollars for Let birds of song and
plumage be protected at all seasons God did not
create them to be killed.
A LOVER OF NATURE.