The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1875-03-03
SPARE THE BIRDS.
The GrasshOPper Plague OF the
West-The Result Of Their In.
discriminate Slaughter.

"S0H-1ne 1SeSuAG Oh ILL.,
discriminate Slaughter.
Cor. Hartford Conn., Courant, Feb. 1s.
And no wonder. The marvel is
that it does not sweep over that whole
region, when we read of the wanton
destruction OF its birds. An item in
a Chicago paper not long since, stated
that 10000 quails and prairie chickens
were fed to swine in single day, in
that city It goes on to say that in
the country west of Chicago, quails,
ruffied grouse, and prairie chickens
are destroyed by the million, irrespec-
tive of law or season. Tons OF birds
shared and shot out of season are
boiled down and fed to swine. On
one day there stood a wagon on the
corner of two streets, containing one
hundred and eighty dozens of prairie
chickens, while, on the near sidewalk,
were piled thirty-seven boxes, con-
tanning five hundred and sixty dozens
of quails, corrupt, decOmposing and
condemned by the health officers, as
only fit for swine. They are trapped,
shot and shared, and sent to the
market, where they find ready sale
up to the middle of March, and yet
the indiscriminate slaughter continues.
The young birds and setting hens, all
alike, are captured and sent to Chicago
and other cities on commission, and
destined to be fed to swine. The
birds, the editor says, must soon dis
appear before such recklessness and
vice. Yes, the birds have disappeared
almost entirely from many Western
localities, and grasshoppers and other
noxious insects have multiplied and
swarmed forth. to spread famine and
desolation. The divinely arranged
balance between birds and insects
have been destroyed by ruthless bird
killers, and the cry of famine rings
out over the land. Such is the retri-
button for the violence of the equipoise
of nature and the making of discard
in. the divine harmony of natures 8
works. --nF
This harmony runs through the
whole creation, and its disturbance
always produces suffering. The innu-
merable rivers which flow into the sea
are freighted with all the impurities
of the land, which, if not abated in
some way, would turn the ocean into
a cess pool But these impurities and
foreign ingredients are absorbed, or
worked up into islands for the future
occupancy of man, by millions and
millions of animalcules, and other
larger marine scavengers. To them
is given a task infinitely greater and
more laborious than the building of
the pyramids or the tunneling of gran
ite mountains, which all the mighty
men OF earth could not perform.
g., h. h,r4c fauL Uhfeh
rious governments have tried in vain
to get done, by Offering bounties as
inducements to their citizens, to de-
been found that the birds are the only
exterminators of the enemy, without
whose divinely appointed labors. in
keeping the insect world in check,
the earth would soon be made void as
at the beginning, and ga1nt famine
Some predict that the winged
scourge is eastward bound. This is
not improbable; and whence will come
our deliverance? Our natuI al helpers
hang up in our meat-markets by mil
lions, sacrificed to the qualification of
epicurean appetites. Not only the
larger varieties, but the little tiny
birds with their crops full of insects,
are brought to New York markets in
bushels and sold for a few cents .
dozen.
The Entomologist of September,
1868. startled its readers by the fol-
lowing declaration: 'On the whole
we are certainly speaking within
one year with another, this country
g., ~ ~oy
ious insects to the amount of $780,
0O,O0O.''
Peter Kahn, Swedish botanist. at
the suggestion of Linneus, in 1745,
was sent by the Swedish government
to make botanical tour through
North America. In his voluminous
reports he incidentally states that,
after the great destruction made
among the black birds for bounty of
three pence dozen, the northern col
onies, in 1749, experienced complete
loss of grass and grain, which were
devoured by insects.
The older civilizations of the East
are more appreciative and protective
of birds than our own. In Japan they
are held sacred and never destroyed.
On the occasion of the visit to that
country in 1874, of the squadron CON-
manded by Commodore Perry, who
opened it to the commerce of the
United States, several of his officers,
one day, went out to shoot birds, for
their amusement. The natives were
horror stricken when seeing the de
struction Of their favorite birds, and
ran to the commodore to demonstrate
against the cruel conduct of his sub
ordinates. This soon put an end to
the sport of American bird killers in
Japan. and when the treaty between
the two countries was negotiated, the
japanese authorities were careful to
have inserted an article protective of
the birds OF that country from Ameri-
can fowlers.
What an exposition is this of the
comparative worth of the two civili-
zations; and how grateful should We
be to the Japanese government for
sending young missionaries to this
barbarous country, under the guise of
pupils seeking education in our
schools, but really, it would seem. to
convert our bird-shc oting barbarians
to the gentle humanities OF their re-
ligion, and teach our school boys good
manners and good morals Success
to the missionl
The Seymour Times says: IF
there is any trash more fat, stale and
Improbable, than the proceedings of
these teachers institutes we have
never seen it in print. These pro-
ceedings consist of fulsom eulogies
and compliments passed upon one an