The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-05-10
A FRIEND OF THE BIRDS.
Notable Speech of Representative
Cummings of New York.


Cummings of New York.
Representative Amos ]. Cummings OF
New York the other day addressed the
House. in advocacy of a bill to enlarge
the powers of the department of agricul-
ture so as to permit 1t to protect birds, as
follows
MIR. Chairman-I was a member of the
House of Representatives thirteen years
ago this spring. In April Of that year the
capitol grounds and the parks OF this
city were filled with robins, bobolinks and
other song birds. The sward below the
piazza of the House wing of the Capitol
was dotted with songsters, the robins
running in every direction for worms and
insects, and the trees alive with music.
To-day 1t is a rarity to see a robin In
the city of Washington. heard two chirp-
ing on Capitol Square early in the spring.
Two weeks ago / saw robin on the
square pecked to death by English spar
rows. When 1 reached him he was lying
with dropping head and outstretched
wings upon the grass in the park. From
two to three hundred of these English
sparrows surrounded him, tormening and
attacking him. l took the bird into the
house and gave him a drop OF the best
brandy. 1t revived him and he flew to the
back of a chair. (Applause) A moment
afterwards, however, l am sorry to say,
his head began gradually to droop and he
finally dropped from his perch TO the car
pet Five minutes afterwards he gasped
for breath and died. on examination L
found one eye bloodshot and discovered
that the bird was terribly lacerated under
the wings. The bills of the sparrows had
pierced him to the vitals. Now, Mr. Chair
man. If this bill will save the few robins
and song birds now with us from the
vicious attacks of these English sparrows
I am most heartily in favor OF 1t. CAP
plause)
Last summer I spent in the Susaue-
hanna valley. Twelve years before this
had summered In the same spot The lit
tie yellow cherry bird was there then in
profusion. The ground chippy darted I'M
der the fences and had It's nest In the
tall grass. The yellow hammer was there
undulating from tree to tree. The tapping
of the woodpecker was heard In the bass
wood and other trees, and the twitter OF
the phoebe bird and the plaintive note
of the pewit. The killdee and plover flew
over the hills and the king fisher and
the little tip-up were seen upon the shores
of the river. Bobwhite made himself
heard in the meadows, and dainty wood
cock flew out of the dells toward night
fall All the varieties of birds familiar
to US in boyhood days were there includ-
ing the catbird the brown thrasher aud
the kingbird. In that region to-day there
is not one of these song birds where
twelve years ego there were fifty
my friend from Iowa chr. lacey says
that the wild pigeon is a bird Of the past.
I have not seen one ON the wing for six
years. As the correspondent OF a great
American newspaper l visited Forest
county, Pennsylvania, twenty years ago to
describe the last pigeon rooSt this side
of the Mississippi. The birds were nest
ing in the forest, covering the trees for
l.. Is n.
dams from the New York state reserva-
tons were there killing the birds and
gathering the squads. Sportsmen were
netting them by the thousand, and pot
hunters were sending great loads OF them
to market. When boy IN Wayne coun-
ty, Pennsylvania, l have seen focks of
these pigeons stretching across the sky
from daylight to ucRhtfali headed for the
West. doubt whether to-day you could
find ono in the whole of Wayne county.
All have disappeared. The last roost IN
the United States was destroyed in the
Indian Territory about twelve years ago.
A wild pigeon is now more scarce, North,
South, East and West, than wild turkey.
Tho prairie chickens have nearly disap-
peared, and the American wood duck IL
being rapidly exterminated. If It is pos
sible now to preserve any of these birds
by legislation enacted by Congress, st Is
cur duty 10 preserve them by placing such
THE most of the states have laws for
the protection OF their birds but desire
congressional legislation to make their
laws effective. Last October / was in
Florida. Twenty-Five years ago sum-
mered and wintered there. spent years
on the cast coast. The sky was filled
with immense focSs of wood ibis, gam
nets, curlews of all colors, oyster birds,
chuckwill' swallows, sheerwaters and sand
pipers. The man-of-war hawk sailed in
the upper sky, and long lines of pelicans
tradled over the beach. There were Inn
mense focks of egrets and snowy herons,
besides the great blue and Louisiana he
rons nnd the roseate spoonbill curlew, now
tho rarest and the most beautiful bird in
America. The scream OF the parakeet
was heard at every turn, and goldinches,
hooking birds limplSins. nonpareils and
myHads Of songsters were seen every
where. To-day the parakeet has almost
| entirely disappeared the roseate SPOON
| bill Is rarely seen and even the common
sea gull Is a prey to the gunner. Tho
state is doing its best now to protect
them. A man who would kill roseate
spoonbill curlew to-day is liable to a fine
of $3.50.
This slaughter has been made to graf
ify the vanity Of the female SEX Hats
and bonnets have been decorated with
their snowy plumes, and the slaughter
still continues and win continue until
some federal law, mortised in with state
laws, prevents It. Our agricultural news
papers are filled with articles showing
that this wanton destruction Of the birds
Is working great injury TO the agricul-
tural community. II has become a matter
of serious concern to the farmer. The cur
culio and other destructive insects have
their sweet will In his orchard, and all
insects detrimental to plant life are in
creasing In number because Of this cruel,
wanton and vicious destruction OF bird
life. (Applause) II does not seem 10 me,
Mr. Chairman, that II should be stopped,
promptly and forever.
81 have recently seen an advertisement
In a Philadelphia newspaper advertising
rArnr.aaaln Tor L.. LII IL hIrla