Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-07-11
Spare the Birds.

enough 10 einDalLu his HdIle forever
by instituting society for the pre-
vention of cruelty to animals.
Doubtlt IS could the poor dray and
omnibus horses of our large cities
speak, they would render him a
greater and more healtfelt ovation
than ever public benefactor received
from his human admirers. Most of
the larger cities of the Atlantic coast
have now stringent regulations for the
severe punishment of the Jehu who
becomes a greater brute than the an
imal he drives. Thus far the efforts
of Mr.. Bersh have been turned main
~ towards that portion of the ami
mated creation that renders service to
man by providing him with food
and furnishing a motive power for
the performance of labor. But now,
since the inroads made by fashion and
folly have become too aggravated for
calm endurance, piercing cry comes
from the birds that render US most
special service in destroying millions
of mischieyous insects every year
and in making the welkin ring with
their melody. Few casual observ-
ers know to what extent our most
gaudy species of birds are annually
slain to subserve the fiimsy pur-
poses of vain ornament in the manu-
facture of millinery goods. There
are extensive establishments in
France and Germany devoted to
nothing else but the importation and
preparation of birds of brilliant plum
age. Thousands of these little crea-
lures, innocent as they are beautiful,
are rutblessly killed every year, in all
parts of the globe and forwarded to
the Great entrepots OF the fashiona-
BILE world to he dismembered and
sold to the leading manufacturers of
ladies' hats and bonnets. To secure
tie greatest brightness and brillian-
CIV of colors, such birds, are, OF
course, trapped and killed in the
noon of their glorious and harmless
lives. We know not all the cruel
details of their capture, but we do
know that in the season of their great
est happiness and activity, they are
caught in myriads, killed, eviscerat-
ed, packed and shipped from the
tropics like any other commodity.
One German dealer alone. confesses
to having recently received an invoice
of thirty-two thousand dead hum
ming birds, eighty thousand aquatic
birds and no less than eight hun
bred thousand pairs of birds wings
solely to subserve the morbid tastes
of those who are willing slaves of
fashion.
In speaking OF the ravages of grain
and uit-destroying insects, the Lam
caster Farmer in Il practical as well
as moral point of view, says: "The
alarming increase of mischievous in
sects in the Atlantic, Middle and
Southern States is clearly traceable
to the wholesale slaughter of hum
ming birds and other feathered tribes
of bright plumage since the coming
of the despicable fashion in question.
Thousands of acres of valuable crops
are regularly destroyed by minute
insects where, but few years ago,
nothing of the kind was known.
Tue conclusion of the whole matter
is brief anu simple. Before the
birds were slain for their top-knots
and wings, they held constant SUI
premacy over the insects by devour.
ing them IN large numbers, whle the
| females were pregnant with eggs,
thus radically preventing the incon-
ceivable increase which would other
wise naturally follow. Larger and
uglier birds, it is true, make way
with a great many worms that make
their appearance later in the season
and thus save the foliage of valuable
trees from being eaten by them.
The smaller birds, however render
the most valuable service to the
northern farmer and the southern
planter. By picking up the young
larvae and other rudi,nental forms
of noxious bugs, beetles, moths and
flies, they literally nip the evil in the
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