The evening times., 1900-09-20
ANIMALS UNDER LEGAL BAN.
of "a statute just Conc Into
Effect
Fson the New York Tgibun

tFECu. the New York IEIbulc-)
new and important law in regard TO
animals has just gone into effect. 1t en-
Iarges The powers of the United States
Department Of Agriculture. seeks TO pro-
tect birds more thoroughly than before,
and guards against the introduction into
this country Of animals which might, II
allowed to increase. become a pest
The English sparrow plague could
have been avoided had this law been
formerly in operation, and perhaps tCo,
there would not now be in the fores :
the silence which speaks" so loudly Of
w2aton cruelty and recklessness IN the
shooting Of birds.
The object and purpose of this act are
to aid in the RESTORATION of such birds
in those parts of the United States
adapted thereto where the same have
become scarce or extinct, and also to
regulate the introduction of America
or foreign birds in localities where they
have not heretofore existed Further
is the important clause which makes
ii unlawful for anyone to transport
from one State to another the
dead bodies of any wild animal or bird
killed in violation OF local laws
The new law deals with the Importation
of all kinds of animals as well as birds.
The word animal is taken to include
reptiles, and birds to include all warm
therefore bats. apparently.
Every importer is required to apply to
the Secretary of Agriculture fer a permit
to import domesticated fowls pigeons,
etc, and cage birds, such as parrots and
canaries. Specimens for museums or sci
enti1c collections are also admitted with
out permits. provided the purpose OF their
Importation is clear.
Some animals are not under any cir
70 hn r
museums. Those under the ban at present
are the mongoose the flying fox or
fruit bat the English sparrow and the
starting These are absolutely prohib-
tied"
The mongoose, to most Americans, is
known chiefly as the deadly enemy of
snakes But his tribe are as fond OF
chickens as of the cobra and the python.
AS for the flying fox. he is a most IN
welcome addition to the fauna of any
country. foot and half long OF an av-
erags. but sometimes much larger, he
lives wholly on fruit. and his one redeem
ing feature seems to be that he is es-
teemed good eating in the countries of
the east in whick he fourishes.
In regard to this matter of prohibited
animals. the powers OF the Secretary OF
Agriculture are unlimited. He may at
any time increase the list
IWenty-nye years ago the -Oseate
spoonbill curfew, for instance. was ex-
tremely common in Florida. The great
beauty Of its plumage attracted The at
tention of the milliners, with the result
that the bird is now protected only by i'm
posing a fine of $3.50 on anyone found
shooting it in Florida
The snowy heron, the great blue heron.
even the seagull, have become prey to
the milliner-or rather to the fashionable
woman-and are rapidly decreasing
The powers OF the State game keepers
are not in any way diminished but the
whole work of saving the forests from be-
ing depopulated for the sake of trimming
a stunning" hat for some fine woman Is
now centralized and dignified-
The purchasing of birds for those regions
seldom found, has not been systematically
this is vested in the Department of Agrf-
culture, this work will doubtless be much
more energetIcally carried on, and much
of the harm done by hitherto lax laws and
uneducated public conscience will be rem
edied
The Importance of the prohibited ami
mali clause is apparent when the figures
of the amount spent to destroy rabbits in
Australia are taken into account. They
amount up to s5,e0 600, and the plague has
exhausted .hss ingenuity of science.
In Jamaica the mongBose is a plague that
destroys much valuable poultry. 1t is only
luck that has kept this country from suf-
fering from this pest, at it would flourish
in the Southern States