New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-10-02
VANISHING WILD THINGS.
SrONSIBLE FOR THEIR DISAP-
PEARANCE.

Maurice Thompson in The Independent.
Sentimental reflections are not OF much value
to a column OF statistical figures. or to any dry
problem of science. in the way of aiding our
understanding 1t is better to be right than
oratorcal or poetical when we have to deal
with facts. no matter how pathetic may be the
significance of those facts. Ever' the uhwei-
come evidence that forces itself upon US year
by year. tending to prove a constant ana RAPID
decrease in the number of our familiar ana IN,
teresting American birds. should he studiea
without prejudice. We love the birds of orchard
field food and wood; but that is no good ground
for negl citing any fact in considering the
causes ot their vanishing from the areas once
teemng with them. .
THE birds disappear and in our grievous dis
appointment when they do not come back VIC
hastily look about for somebody to lay the blame
upon and So scod with due Vigor. Then II Is
time for sportsmen to dodge and vince Inc
man with the gun must he ready TO pear aims W
infinite abuse. OF he must betake hihlse,l pe
yond reach of il. He is gully OF suhury uepie,
datlons sins against the law of universal oird
protection. that he cannot deny: but ne may
well object TO Vicarious receptiVity "neH Tue &C.
of punitive gft-ohering comes ana so,"epo "I
proposes making him the recipient oi eNc'!
other transgressor's snare. as well as Els own.
The hoy who shoots an air-suh' o. cnea.
fowline- piece. or an ihdia-ruope' suns "I IIa
take second place in the rank of martyrs ne
kills a few little birds and frightens many ne
is a nuisance and should be puriiied: but ne sets
far more blame than his actual misderneahors
deserve Then comes the collector OF sKuiS anu
feathers the man who supplies museums PR
vate collections and milliners shcrS- ne -
bad fellow: ne kills for money. sun MS sidusi',
teringS numerous as they certainly are See'n
insignificant when compared with the enormous
decrease of bird life. .... 49,. /,
The, reports once in a while E'ade out oy
geological societies and other ORGANIZATIONS III
thu interest OF natural history study are vali'
Able IN a way, hut one cannot reau thei" ".'nou
sroclline book dust where the pure ar Oh ou''
doors ought to be- and feeling that they are
based upon scattered and somewhat insisnlfi,
cant details rather than upon the larger anj
more generally Influential facts OF mature diiu
nfe This is especially true az resdiu' w" f
has neen done in the matter or accounting io'
the remarkable 1isappea' anCe OIL piioS i,Un
large districts in their natural DOMAIN. me
eun-hcarer the feather-hunter anu the uluiue'
ans small hoy with the sling are not the ndo
syants of bird destruction. and / wish to give
a few items Of evidence in this connection
IMPROVEMENT" MEANS EXTINCTION.
Came laws for the protection Of deer cannon
rrovent The complete disappearance OF those
beautiful animals from country oeFoteu =
modern agriculture. When all the ""ouH a.
cut down, and all the plains are put ~ ,'v
though there is no hone left Tor the oed' an
the bi,on Drain the boys. ana "hat ca" V'',
woodcock DO for living Recia'm al Inr W.
lands and ditch away the waters ol po'iu' an
lakes but after that look in vain for Snpe am
- Dnstrov the thckets ana briery tanSleS
0hev are unsghtly and unprontabie on ,he
farm, no matter how necessary they are 10 IN
quail and then look IN van iVr pe' ~ ONCE
neatly shorn fields. Your bluebirds. thdt VIZ.
had the old worm fences with hollow stakes %
build in cannot accept Darpeo VII NJ,
tute. where shall their nests be hluuen 10
are the gay woodpeckers 10 30 Wheh you ca, ~,
Ell, am ,.,v and burn every dead tree ana
bough' .. o,,r,us =,
. Every summer am more ana more cu'.ou l' !,
know how the meadow lark suINlEeo' ~, NV ,aar
auccaeds in rearing "A brood. when year oy year
~ meadows in which II builds are cut cio7eN
ana closer with the changing mowihs-lha.",,'' ,
and when the seeds il loves are not perWit.eu ~
do
- ,,,r highly cultivated and smoothly Shorn
farms The food of the wild pigeon is gone anu
gone forever are the countless hosls VI Peco
JVhen | was a child the beautilui ana "'as"ii,
CSant log-cock was everywhere seen IN the "o'oS
of our country. Now it il rare. save IN d ie"
remote wildernesses. Why Because the rotten
wood IN which its food is found has been long
ago made into heaps and burned py tne SUI ~
men who have caused fafhiS anu PLANTATIONS -
supersede the forests. 800, ho,a,
In the old days of bramble tangles ana haAe,
,h,ckats there were no frozen OeVieS l-a'e'S
have seen sixteen quails stiH as lcicles III
nitiful little cluster where. all unprotected the
zero weather had caught them. as IenhE son ma
n in IT'S frozen palms Then the hungry
hawks their viii Of birdS where M s - nv
thick cover for them to hide in. and the farm
hnuse cats proving from field 10 neid anu from
orchard 10 orchard. devour every hedeHhe ma
they can find BY night the Owls hunt win t"t
cats The farmers pigs. noSinS everywhere 90
up The eggs OF all birds that nest ON the Brounn
DRAINAGE AND WATER FOWL
Il is true that the plume gatherers have Killed
thousands Of herons. bat the farmers drains
the canals and covered bitches whereby vast
areas Of Watery feeding grounds have been
made dry-ha"e killed millions. FIFTY years ago
the sloppy prairieS and queachy Doglands of IN
nOls Iowa Indiana. Michigan and ONO were the
haunts of countless swarmS Of migrating herchS
geese hrsnt duck and crs ne. Now very few are
seen because this intermediate resting ana feed
ing ground has been unavailable for years. EVEN