The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-05-03

everywhere were attracted by the voices or
these reformers. and their ranks grew rapid
~ Inc result is that to-day nearly every
State in the Union has laws prohibiting the
killing of song. insectivorous or plumaga
BIRDS at any time OF the year Even the Con-
SreSS or the United States has come 10 the
rescue of the birds, and hat grand old Iowa
statesman. the Hon. John r. Lacey. began
a battle for the sonSsters. For SIX years
he labored 10 secure favorable action IN
Congress on his bill 10 save the birds. The
result of this grand work is the Lacey bird
law. the most important measure ever
adopted In this or in any other country, for
the protection OF birds.
There are a few States that have gone
SO far as 10 pass laws prohibiting the sale.
or the wearing, or the having IN possession
of the skin or plumage OF any song, IN
sectivoIOus or other birds Tor
decorative purposes.
The Audubon societies.. the American
Crnithological Union and the League u
American Sportsmen, of which / have tue
honor to be president. have been crystal
lied as a result of the reform movement,
started, as / have said, by a nandiui u
men ana women, ten years ago. The enact
ment of laws. however, is only the nTst step
in a crusade which is aimed 70 save OF
birds from determination. The next thlhs
is to enforce these laws. The homes g
many OF our birds are in the forests. IL cA
the great tideWater marshes. or In the ever
glades and swamps or Florida ana other
Southern States. wncre few people nNe,
Hence. the unprincipled market hunler
may ply his vocation in these WHO feS'"Is
with little danger of detection. ma "
must do To save the birds is TO 90 ~ WIN
our work of creating public sentiniea- am
OF educating the people. especially the poEs
and girls. A great philosopher once salu'
Give me the boys, and you have the men.
and in twenty years will rule the worlo.
That statement might be paraphraSed TO-
Day in this form: Give me the boys ana
girls. and you may have the men ara
women. and in twenty years will show
YOU fields and forests and orchards as
abundantly peopled with native songsters
and beautiful plumage birds as they were
twenty years ago.
1T then becomes the duty OF the men
and women of to-day not only to condemn
the reckless slaughter Of birds, the de-
struction of their nests and the collection
of their eggs. but to create in the minds
OF the young and rislng generation TINS
same kind of sentiment. Teach the emil
dren to love the birds and you VIII then
have stopped them from killing the birds
and robbing their nests.
BIRD DAY FOR THE SCHOOLS.
1.-The public schools in many States have
set apart one day in each year which is
known as Arbor day and which is devoted
to the study and planting of trees. Now
let us set apart one day in each month to
be known as bird day. On such days the
children should be taken en- masse to the
woods or 10 the fields, where they can have
an opportunity to study bird life. The
teachers should be equired to call the at
IpnIlO0 Oh the CDllUItn % lit Dt1ulN dllQ
the utility OF each bird found; 10 instill into
the minds of the youngsters a love for
birds and the need of carefully protecting
them and their nests instead OF destroying
them.
"A teacher in Michigan writes me thus:
After a talk on bird protection one morn
ing | asked the pupils how many would do
their best TO protect desirable birds at all
times. Every one of my pupils raised d
hand, and in d manner which meant some
thing for the coming generation
The Hon. Grant NJ. Morse, state game
warden of Michigan. has recently issued
his annual report. and in ii has printed
this beautiful sentiment: If 1t be true that
TO win the secret of a weeds plain heart
gives only a clew TO the hidden things of
the spiritual life how much more the con-
scient and reciprocal love which is borne
between the human family and domesti.
Gated wild life must widen the sphere of
spiritual sympathy. This at last reaches
the eternal source of all lie and love and
finds indeed that one touch OF nature
man who first uttered That ~beautlfui sentl-
ment.
ut is not my purpose to lay more blame
on fair women for the disappearance of
birds than is her due. No man on earth
can more fully and fearfully realize the
crimes that have been committed by men
under the name of sport than / do. In my
dual capacity as the editor of a magazine
devoted TO outdoor sport and as president
of the League of American Sportsmen |
get reports every day of the slaughter OF
birds and of wild animals by so-called
III aiR VA 49,
sportsmen that make me blush for my fell
low-men."
Mr.. Shields here gave instances of wild
fowl and other birds. Continuing. he said:
Il have received frequent reports OF one
or two men killing 100 TO 20 robins IN one
day in Virginia or the Carolinas or some
other Southern State. | have frequently
received reports of two or three men kill
ing anywhere from 200 to 800 reed birds IN
a day on some of the Southern swamps.
This is the beautiful red-winged black
bird. or bobolink. of the North. There
is a possible excuse for a man killing
ducks. or prairie chickens. or quail, or
woodcock. or snipe and calling IL sport be-
cause these birds are strong. rapid flyers.
The flight OF the two latter species Is &C.
centric. and the birds. being small. are
hard to hit. 1t requires a quick eye, a
one of them in its flight. But what shall
we say of the man who feeds the ducks
until they settle to his bait In great num-
bers and who then mows them down by
hundreds?
MURDER INSTEAD OF SPORT.
"What shall we say of the man who kills
a mourning dove or a robin, or a red
winged blackbird. in the name of sport?
Personally. | would as soon kill a baby as
one of these birds. and the time will come
when all true sportsmen will agree with
me in this sentiment. Throughout all the
Southern States the mourning dove is re-
KaIuGQ as Il kdlilt DliNs buts VIII is ltSll
is edible. II il too beautiful, too innocent
and too valuable TO be destroyed under the
name Of sport or for food purposes.
another evil which we have to combat
Is the hordes of Italians. Bohemians and
other ignorant foreigners. who go out of
every big city on Sunday mornings. armed
with cheap shotguns, and kill every bird
they can find. They even murder gold
fnches. orioles. scarlet Hangers. meadow
larks. blue birds and everything that flies.
These all go into the pot ut home and are
eaten with the Eusto of a savage. We are
advocating the passage OF laws in all
States TO prohibit Sunday shooting and to
q tax Of s. or so placed ON every gun In
the land. This would cause the destruction
of many of the guns which these heather
use and would stop this method of slaugh-
ter almost entirely.
Some sportsmen get up and howl that
this taxing OF guns rs un-American; that
1t Is unjust to the poor man. II rs one Of
several pairs of evils between which we
have TO choose. 1t ought not TO be neces-
Sary TO license guns I'm this country; but we
must license them I'm order 10 save the
lives of our song and insectivorous birds.
Another custom Of So-called spOrtsmen
which makes me blush every time / think
traps. Personally | would just as soon
shut up an old hen in a trap, shoe her out
and shoot her 20 death as to put one OF
those tame pigeons in and kill II when IL
comes out. Yet there are hundreds OF men
in this country who consider IL great sport
from "A trap I'm a day. These men are not
worthy the name OF sportsmen. Most Of
the shooting is done simply and purely for
money, although ostensibly under the name
OF sport. Large wagers are frequently
made on the result of a contest. and In