The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-07-07
THE BIRDS PETITION
INGENIOUS METHOD WHICH SECURED
ENACTMENT OF A MERclFul LAW.


Song and Insectivorous Birds Now Secure
In Massachusetts From naids OF Tsathcs
Hunters--senator Hoar Credited with
Inducing This Result.
Senator Hoar Is now credited with
having written the petition to the Mas.
sachusetts Legislature which resulted In
tho law prohibiting tho wearing on wo.
mems hats or elsewhere in their COS
tunes of the plumage of song and insee-
tivorous birds. The petition is supposed
to have been composed by the birds
themselves. Here IL tho full text:
"To the great and general court OF
the commonwealth of Massachusetts
We, the song birds of Massachusetts
and their playfellows. make this our
humble petition. We know more abou.
you than you think we do We know
how good you are. We have hoped
about the roofs and looked in at the
windows OF the houses you have built
for poor and sick and hungry people
and little lame and deaf and blind chill
dren. We have built our nests in the
trees and sung many song as we few
about the gardens and parks you have
made SO beautiful for your children,
especially your poor children, to play
in. Every year we fly great way ovei
the sun is bright and warm. And we
know that whenever you do anything
the other people all over this great land
between the seas and the great lakes
find it out, and pretty soon will try to
do the same. We know. We know.
"We are Americans, just the same Of
you are. Some of us, like some of you,
came across the great sea. But most OF
the birds like us have lived here lor6
while, and the birds like us welcomed
your fathers when they came here many.
many years ago. Our fathers and moth.
ers have always done their best to please
your fathers and mothers.
N"Now we have sad story to tell
you. Thoughtless or bad people are try.
ing to destroy us. They kill us because
our feathers are beautiful. Even pretty
and sweet girls, who we should think
would be our best friends, kill our
brothers and children 30 that they may
wear our plumage on their hats, Some.
times people kill MS for mere wanton.
ness. Cruel boys destroy our nests and
steal our eggs and our young ones. Peo-
pie with guns and snares lie in wait TO
kill Us, az il the place for a bird were
not in the sky alive, but in q shop win
dow Or in glass case: 4 this goes on
much longer, all odr Song birds viii be
gone. Already we are told in some 9TH
or countries that used 10 be full Of birds
they are now almost gone. Even the
nightinRales are being killed in Italy.
"Now we humbly pray that You will
stop all this and will save us from thil
sad fate. You have already made q law
that no one shall kill harmless song
bird or destroy our nests or our eggs.
Will you please make another one that
no one shall kill us to get our feathersi
We want them all ourselves. Your pref.
ty girls are pretty enough without them.
We are told that it is as easy for you to
do it as for blackbird to whistle.
If you will, we know how to pay
you hundred times over. We will
teach your children to keep themselves
clean and neat. We will show them
how to live together in peace and love
and to agree as we do in our nests. We
will build pretty houses which you will
like to see. We will play about your
garden and flower beds-ourselves like
flowers on wings, without any cost to
you. We will destroy the wicked insects
and worms that spoil your cherries and
currants and plums and apples and
roses. We will give our best songs and
make the spring more beautiful and the
summer sweeter to you. Every June
morning when you go out into the field,
oriole and bluebird and blackbird and
bobolink will fly after you and make
the day more delightful to you. And
when you go home tired after sundown
vesper sparrow will tell you how CRATE
full we are. When you sit down on youi
porch after dark, fife bird and hermit
thrush and wood thrush will sing to you,
and even whippoorwill will cheer you
up little. We know where we are
safe. In little while all the birds will
come to live in Massachusetts, again,
and everybody who loves music will like
to make a summer home with you."
The signers are: Brown Thrasher,
Kingbird, Robert o. Lincoln, Swallow,
Hermit Thrush, Cedar Bird, Vesper
Sparrow, Cow Bird, Robin Redbreast,
Martin, Song Sparrow, Veery, Scarlet
Tanager, Vireo, Summer Redbird,
Oriole, Blue Heron, Blackbird, Hum
ming Bird, Fife Bird, Yellow Bird,
Wren, Whippoorwill, Linnet, Water
Wagtail, Peewee, Woodpecker, Phoebe,
Pigeon Woodpecker. Yoke Bird, Indigo
Bird. Lark, Yellow Throat, Sandpiper.
Wilson's Thrush, Chewink, Chickadee.
New York Commercial Advertiser.