The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-07-30
THE BIRDS PETITION
INGENIOUS METHOD WHICH SECURED
ENACTMENT OF A MERClFUL LAW.

Song and Insectiyorous Birds Now Secure
In Massachusetts From Raids of Feather /
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
the law prohibiting the wearing on wo-
mems hats or elsewhere in their cos
TUNES OF the plumage of song and insec-
tivorous birds. The petition is supposed
to have been composed by the birds
themselves. Here is the full text:
ITO 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 about
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 flew
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 over
the country, keeping all the time where
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 as
you are. Some Of us, like some of you,
came across the great sea. But most OF
the birds like us have lived here long
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.
"Now we have a 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 so that they may
wear our plumage on their hats. Some
times people kill us for mere wanton-
ness. Cruel boys destroy our nests and
! steal our eggs and our young ones. Peo-
| ple with guns and snares lie i'll wait to
kill us, as if the place for a bird were
not in the sky alive, but in a shop win
dow or in a glass case. If this goes on
much longer all our song birds Will be
gone Already we are told III some 9TH
er countries that used to be full OF birds
they are now almost gone. Even the
nightingales are being killed in Italy.
"Now we humbly pray that you will
stop all this and will save us from this
sad fate. You have already made law
that no one shall kill a harmless song
bird or destroy our nests or our eggs.
Will you please make another one thai
no one shall kill us to get our feathers
We want them all ourselves Your pref
ty girls are pretty enough without them
We are told that it is as easy for you tf
do it as for "A blackbird to whistle.
"If you will, we know how to pay
vou q hundred times over. We vii
teach your children to keep themselve
clean and neat. We will show then
how to live together in peace and low
and to agree as we do i'll our nests. w
will build pretty houses which you vii
like to see. We will play about you
garden and flower beds--ourselves llk
flowers on wings, without any cost Z
YOU. We will destroy the wicked insect
and worms that spoil your cherries an
currants and plums and apples an
roses. We will give our best songs an
make the spring more beautiful and tn
summer sweeter to you. Every Jun
morning when you go out into the fielc
oriole and bluebird and blackbird an
l bobolink will fly after you and max
the day more delightful to you. An
when YOU 90 home tired after sundow
vesper sparrow will tell you how CRATE
full we are. When you sit down on you
porch after dark, fife bird and herm
thrush and wood thrush will sing to you
and even whippoorwill will cheer yo
+, mn little. We know where we al
4 safe. In little while all the birds WI
!, come to live in Massachusetts, agar
d and everybody who loves music will III
to make a summer home with you.
t The signers are: Brown Thrashe
G Kingbird, Robert O. Lincoln, Swallow
n Hermit Thrush, Cedar Bird, Vesp
= Sparrow, Cow Bird, Robin Redbreas
Martin. Song Sparrow, Veery, Scarf
Tanager, Vireo, Summer Redbir
O,iole. Blue Heron, Blackbird, Hun
- ming Bird, Fife Bird, Yellow Biz
Wren, Whippoorwill, Linnet' war
y !" Wagtail, Peewee. Woodpecker, Ph9b
= pigeon Woodpecker, Yoke Bird, lndl'
= Bird, Lark, Yellow Throat, Sandpipe
- Wilson'S Thrush, Chewink, Chickade
= Nav York Commercial Advertiser