Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1900-06-15
SAYING SONG BIRDS.
The Steps to be Taken For
That Purpose.
Congressman Amos }. Cummings in Rich
mOHd Dispatch.

Congressman Amos ;. Cummings in Rich
mOnd Dispatch.
WASHINGTON, May 26.-The En-,
glish sparrow is doomed. That ty.
rant of the air has too long waged
merciless war on the useful and beau
tiful members of the feathered tribe
Congress is taking steps to restore to
America the song birds that former
ly made joyous music as they thrilled
their happy way through the air.
The importance of the mongoose,
the so-called "hying.forces" or fruit
bats, the English sparrow, the star
ling, or such other birds or animals
as the Secretary of Agriculture NAV
declare injurious to the interests of
agriculture or horticulture is to be
prohibited. The measure passes Con-
gress none too soon.
Thirteen years ago this spring 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 in
sects, and the trees alive with music.
To-day it is rarity to see robin in
the city of Washington. 1 heard
two chirping on Capitol Square early
IN the spring. Two weeks ago saw
a robin on the square pecked to death
by English sparrows. When | reached
him he was lying with dropping
head and outstretched wings upon
the grass IN the park. From 200 to
300 of these English sparrows sur
rounded him, tormenting and attack
ing him. ! took the bird into the
house and gave him drop of the
best brandy. 1t revived him, and
he flew to the back Of a chair. A
moment afterwards, however, am
sorry to say, his head began grad dual-
ly to droop, and he finally dropped
from his perch to the carpet. Five
minutes afterwards he gasped for
breath and died. On examining
found one eye bloodshot, and dis
covered that the bird was terribly
lacerated under the wings. The
bills of the sparrows had pierced him
to the vitals.
Last summer l spent in the Sus-
quehanna Valley. Twelve years
before this had summered in the
same spot. The little yellow cherry
bird was there then in profusion.
The ground chippy darted under the
fences, and had its nest in the t&ll
grass. The yellow. hammer was there
undulating from tree to tree. The
tapping of the woodpecker was heard
in the Eastwood and other trees, and
the twitter of the phoebe bird, and
the plaintive note of the pewit. The
kiidee and the plover flew over hills,
and the king-isher and the little
tipup were seen upon the shores of
the river. Bob White made himself
heard in the meadows, and dainty
woodcocks flew out of the dells toward
nightfall. All the varieties of birds
familiar to us in boyhood days were
there, including the catbird, the
brown thrasher, and the kingbird.
In that same region to-day there is
not one of these song birds where
twelve years ago there were fifty.
The wild pigeon is bird of the
past. | have not seen one on the
wing..for six years. AS the correspon-
dent of a great American newspaper
| visited Forrest county, Pa, twenty
years ago to describe the last pigeon
roost this side of the Mississippi.
The birds were nesting in the forests,
covering the trees for twenty square
miles. Hundreds of Indians from
the New York State reservations 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 a boy in
Wayne county, Pa, have seen flocks
of these pigeons stretching across the
sky from daylight to nightfall,
headed for the West. doubt whether
to-day you could find one 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. The prairie
chickens have nearly disappeared,
and the American wood-duck is
being rapidly exterminated.
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.
live years ago / summered and
wintered there. l spent years on
the east coast. The sky was filled
with inmensa HooLrs &c ,uo,,l ;l:.