The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1896-05-22
NATIVE BIRrS.

NitiN lNSNhpiN ~ 'pohN, WIZ
servator of the Ornithological Section,
on the "ProtectiOn and Preservation
of Our Native Birds"
Many causes, the speaker said, COM
bined to bring about the eNtermina-
ton of various species of birds be-
sides the warfare waged upon them by
man. The conditions necessary to
their existence We're changing, and
some species were unable to adapt
themselves to the change. The clear
ing away of the forests and settlement
of the country had diminished the
number and eNterminated many spe-
cies. The wild pigeous which, within
the recollection Of many of the pres
ent generation, darkened the sky with
their flight. cannot now be found in
hocks in any portion of the country.
For the last Is years there is a record
of only six wild pigeons being killed
in this State.
The common quail, or Bob White"
is becoming very scarce, and but for
the protection afforded by the game
laws, and the vigilance of sportsmen
who prosecute the violators Of these
laws. would soon become extinct. The
pheasant. or ruffed grouse, once so
plentiful, is now found only in unin-
habited wids, or where they have been
placed and protected by sportsmen's
clubs. The little wren and bluebird,
known and loved by the children of the
last generation, are now seldom seen
where sparrows are plenty. The bur
ly, pugnacious foreigner came here to
stay the year round. He does not mi
CRATE as the tiny song birds do, but
takes possession of the bird boxes
erected for his musical kindred, and
when they return in the spring their
homes are gone: every hole in the
trees and every Granny where they
used to nest has now 4 resident spar
row. and the little warblers are driven
back to the woods, if they can find
any, to end their days.
The greatest destroyer of birds,
however, is Fashion. About the year
1880 she decreed that complete birds
should be used to decorate the ladies.
What Fashion DEGREES must, of neceS-
sitv, be followed. The smaller birds
first became the victims of this cruel
craze, and millions upon millions upon
millions were sacrificed to it. Some
species have been utterly eNtermina-
ted. The wholesale millinery firms
sent out collectors (taxidermists they
called themselves). who established
camps about nesting time, when birds
congregate most, and slaughtered them
without mercy, leaving their nnfed
young in the nests to stave.
Some sections near home may he in
stanced where this business was car
ried on. Time waS-only few years
back-when the graceful little terms
were plentiful on our Atlantic beaches.
Flocks of these tiny gulls could be
seen ut the waters edge, Oh the wave
and on the sand, reckless and constant
" flying from one point to another.
They were bred in great numbers on
Brieantinc Beach: they laid their
eggs in the sand above high tide. The
taxidcrmiStS came there in 1888, and
| in two or three years had killed all the
old birds. and now they have disap-
pearcd. The same thing occurred at
Beach Haven. One New York dealer
| had ut one time in stock 80, 900 Oi
| these little terms, and one gunner sent
| to that market over 5000 of them in
one year.
In the same way Florida has been
despoilcd of her birds. In 1880 the
eastern coast of Florida swarmed with
herons. eight different species of them
the roscate ibis. brown pelicans, gulls
and smaller birds in clouds. In 1886
after the milliners' taxidermists had
depopulatcd it, many Of these birds
could not he found, and onl v an occa-
sional pair of the remaining species
Only the change of fashion. which is
inevitable. will save IT, birds tina. are
yet left us from utter extinction. Scar
city has already driven the milliners to
| the use of the feathers of domestic
fowls. colorcd i'm all the hues of the
rainbow.
Collectors of birds eggs are also re-
sponsible for the destruction of the
bird species Scientific societies cut
but small figure. Probably there
are not 5000, 900 specimens in all the
collections made in 100 years. Pro
lection can only come through the ed
ucation of the people and by protective
legisla'io ion sustained by game wardens;
bv a better understanding of their