Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1899-03-03
To Protect the Birds.
Important Facts Presented In Debate
In Congress.

The bill to extend the jurisdiction of
the commission of fish and fisheries over
"game birds and other wild birds useful to
man." which recently passed both branches
of Congress and went to conference on GER
tain Senate amendments, promises to be
useful During the debates it was pointed
out that in various parts Of Europe the
duties of fish and game wardens are com
bined in the same hands, so that the pres
ent measure is not wholly experimental.
Mr.. Lacey in arguing for the bill, re-
called his boyhood days, when "the air
was fairly filled with varieties of birds that
have since almost entirely disappeared"
and cited the fate of the buffalo TO illus
trate how animals almost incredibly abund-
ant may be swept by the million from the
earth, when not protected by timely legis-
lation. Comparatively a few years ago, he
said, railroad trains in the West had to
stop until the buffalo herds passed, and
now there may be perhaps $50 Of those an
finals in the whole country. Very strik-
ing also was his statement that a century
and half ago in Connecticut an appren-
tees indenture forbade the farmer to
make him eat salmon more than twice a
week, while in Maryland laws prevented
masters from forcing their slaves 10 live
exclusively upon terrapn. That the song
birds and game birds are fast going the
way of the buffalo and the seal in spite of
the effort of the Audubon societies is evil
IDENTIFY the opinion of w. L. Hornaday,
who was cited during the debates as an
authority on this point;
after having stripped our Atlantic
coast, the whole of Florida and the Gulf
coast of egrets, tens and hundreds of thOus-
ands of other birds acceptable to the mil
| liners for hat trimmings, the plume hunt
ers are now at work along the coast of
Mexico and Central America, Lower Cali
fornia, and even upon the headwaters Of
the Orinoco and Amazon.
Throughout about three-fifths of the
whole area Of our country, exclusive OF
Alaska, bird life Ia general is being ami
hilated. In many localities edible birds
of nearly all species have become rare.
Owing to the disappearance of the true
game birds, our song and insectivorous
birds are now being killed for food pur-
poses. Under present conditions. except
in few localities, the practical annihila.
tion of all our birds, except the smallest
species, within a comparatively short pc
riod, may be regarded as absolutely certain
| to occur"
a lAOle showing the decrease Oh DlIu llIt
in 80 states and territories exhibits maxi
mum of II per cent in Rhode Island and a
minimum of 10 per cent in Nebraska, the
average being 40 per cent. Indeed, the
few opponents of the bill did not deny
the existing perils to bird life, but doubted
whether the jurisdiction of Congress owe
navigable waters which justified Legislation
upon fish culture could properly be extend
ed TO the denizens of the air. That pro
lection, they argued, should depend oil
state laws, as, indeed, the propagation o
fish in non-navigable streams depends oil
such legislation. Still the friends of tn
bill pointed out that the fish commission
does, by permission, introduce fish int
non navigable streams, and that in tn
same way it could supplement state proteC
ton of bird life while in the territorie
and the public lands it would have fu
sway.
1t was determined, therefore, TO give tn
fish commission such powers over 18th
propagation, distribution, transportation
introduction and restoration of game bird
and other wild birds useful TO man" q
could be lawfully given; and all lovers {
birds must hope that these powers will b
, exercised wisely and well.-[New Yor
sun.