The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1877-07-06
The Destruction of Birds by Telegraph
Wires.

|
This Is subject which has already
attracted deserved attention In Europe,
and believe that much has been said
about 1t, particularly by German writ
ers. But in this country the facts in the
case seem to have been to great degree
overlooked, or at any rate insufficiently
set forth in the random notices which.
like the accounts of the mortality caused
by lighthouses, have occasionally an
peared. Yet the matter is one of much
interest, as | shall here take opportunity
TO note. Few persons, probably among
ornithololists, realize what an enormous
number of birds are killed by fyipp
against these wires, which now form n
murderous network over the greater
part of the country. Until recently. |
had myself no adequate idea of the de-
struction that is so quietly, insidiously.
and uninterruptedly accomplished. Nv
observations do nor enable me TO form
evsn an approximate estimate of the
annual mortality, and l suppose we
shall never possess accurate data: but
l am satisfied that many hundred thous-
and birds are yearly killed by the tele-
graph. The evidence I shall present
may be considered sufficient to bear out
seemingly extravagant statement.
recently had occasion to travel on
horseback from Denver, Colorado. to
Cheyenne, Wyoming, distance of one
hundred and ten miles, BY the road
which, for considerable part of the
way, coincided with the line of the tel.
egraph. 1t was over rolling prairie.
crossed by few affiuents of the South
Platte, along the eastern base of the
Rocky Mountains. The most abundant
birds Of this stretch of country, at that
time (October), were horned larks,
tocks OF which were almost continuous
ly in sight; and the next most charac-
teristic species was Maccown's bunting
Almost immediately upon riding by the
telegraph wire, noticed deid lark
and as passed several more in quick
succession, my attention was aroused.
The position Of the dead birds enabled
me to trace cause and effect, before |
actually witnessed case of killing. The
bodies lay, in every instance, nearly or
directly beneath the wire. A crippled
bird was occasionally seen flutterinQ
along the road. Becoming interested
in the matter, began TO count a hun.
dred in the course of one hours leisure
riding-reprcsenting perhaps distance
OF three miles. Nor was it long before
l saw birds strike the wire, and fall
stunned to the ground: three such cases
were witnessed during the hour. One
bird had its wing broken; another was
picked up dying in convulsions from
the force of the blow. The eyeballs OF
several dead ones l examined were
started from their sockets, and the
feathers were torn off, indicating a VIC.
lent blow upon the head; but in most
cases there was left no outward mari
of the fatal internal injury. Along
some particular stretches of wire where
for whatever reason, birds had congre.
gated, the dead ones averaged at least
one to every interval between the poles
sometimes two or three lay together
showing where f1ook had passed by
and been decimated. The great major.
isy lsgka Of the birds ii, DESTROYED consisted NJ
buntings, one meadow startling and ono
green-winged teal. The proportion Of
larks was probably due In the main
simply to their greater abundance; but
l presume that their singularly way.
ward, impulsivo flight may have in.
creased the risk of striking the wires.
They were the only birds l saw knocked
down, and l noticed, or fancied motto.
ed, some hesitation and confusion in
their flight when the flocks crossed the
line of wire.
From these facts, which / simply mar
rate, one may attempt to estimate, if he
wished, the extent of the destruction
which, as have already said, goes OH
incessantly. Given, one hundred dead
birds to three miles of wire, all killed,
perhaps, within week; or given three
birds seen to strike and fall within an
hour; how many are annually killed
by the telegraph wires of the United
States? should be sorry to suppose,
however, that the rate of destruction /
witnessed is not at or near the max
imum: for have seldom seen more
birds to the acre than during the day to
which particularly refer, and never
under circumstances more likely to re.
suit In the disaster of which spoke.
| Usually, a remedy has been or may be
provided for an unnecessary or unde-
sirable destruction of birds; but there
seems to be none in this instance. Since
we cannot conveniently abolish the
telegraph, we must be content with
fewer birds. The only moral l can
discern Is that larks must not fy against
telegraph wires.-[American Natural
list.