The Wilmingtonian., 1886-04-10
Our Wild Birds.

birds forms any definite portion Of the self
imposed duties Of that much-needed Asso-
citation, but it is incontestably true that our
beautiful little fcathcred friends are fast
vanishing from brake and coppice from
wooded dell, from meadow-and seashore
and from lawn and garden.
It is true in measure that the unmelo-
dious, impudent and unbeautiful sparrow
has occupied the bits Of lawn yards and gar
dens in our cities heretofore graced by the
presence Of other feathered birds of the
finch order by robins, blue-jays, thrushes,
blackbirds and other songsters, but to assert
that the widespread disappearance through
out the state of these varieties is in any
general degree to be laid at the door of the
dingy little Britisher is preposterous.
There are other causes much more to the
point to which may be attributed this loss.
committee of the American Ornitholo-
gists' Union has taken up the question and
is now employed gathering information
bearing upon the destruction Of North
American birds.
Let us listen to what Mr. ]. A. Allen, one
of the committee Of that society, upon being
interviewed by representative of the New
York Herald has to say
eve have protective bird laws" said Mr..
Allen, "and if they were properly amended
and enforced our birds would be fairly pro-
tected As it is, their slaughter continues
to increase from year to year, and unless it
is Immediately stopped incalculable injury
to the country will follow and many of the
species become extinct. There are those
who would make bird collectors for muse
ums in measure responsible for the rapid
decrease OF birds in this country. The charge
| is uufounded, have taken pains to gather
data, and after carefully examining the rec
ords of the museums Of the United States /
| find that they contain the skins of less than
two hundred thousand birds. This number
is not twentieth Of the birds killed in
season and sold to the hat trade. Our muse
ums Of natural history iu Central Park con-
tains but 49, 900 bird skins, and two-thirds
of those imported from foreign countries.
The total number on exhibition in the Ma
tional museum at Washington is but so, 900.
These $4,000 birds belonging to American
science represent the collections Of many
years, while the vast numbers destroyed and
sold to the miiliners are the result of sin
gle seasons slaughter. This wholesale de-
the present fashion Of wearing birds on la
dies bats and raiment II is true that many
Of the birds sold in the trade are imported,
but they are fully balanced by those we send
abroad. The number Of birds annually
slaughtered in this country for the sake of
fashion amounts to many millions as we
have found by making careful estimates
based on manufacturers figures Of birds
bought and sold. The more beautiful the
bird the more eagerly it is sought and the
more money it will bring"
Upon being asked what birds are most
used by the New York bird dealers Mr.. Allen
said g.
"Our sweetest singers and most industri-
GUS worm catchers Among them are the
orioles, redbirds, cedar birds, goldfinches,
buebirds, redstarts, vireos, cherry birds,
blue jays, red winged blackbirds, meadow
larks, swallows, bobolinks, sand pipers
golden winged woodpeckers, robins, shore
larks, thrushes, insect killing nighthawks,
whip-poor-hills, white herOns, egrets, much
, sought for on account of their long, graceful
pumes, and terms or sea swallows"
"The destruction of the birds has become
} a regular and systematic business. An ex,
perienced man, with two or three skilled
taxidermists, will 90 along the coast in the
season and employ the natives to kill birds.
/ 1t is surprising how many birds one of thest
2 New York agents, with few taxidermists
can get in few months. The islands along
e the Atlantic coasts are iavorite breeding
4 grounds for birds. This the natives We
8 know. An inducement Of ten cents piec,
' for all birds delivered soon depopuates thr
e islands Of their feathered inhabitants. Tn
j. bird which costs ten cents in the country sell
: for fifty cents to dollar in the city. Tn
: cost is trifng compared with the large pro
Y fits and vast extent of the business. Heron
+ and egrets, which were 50 plentiful in Flor
c da a few years ago, have almost disappeared
The following remarkable statistics shoul
be carefully conned by every farmer in til
state Of Delaware, and not less by ever
l. intelligent citizen,
II "An ordinary dealer in the county wi
:e sell 10, 600 birds to his city customers in
single season. Many of the larger jobber
handle from 10000 to 10000 birds yea
each On Long Island and in New Jerse
=. q IL L f-s1H