The Tupelo journal., 1903-02-06
"FRIENDS" OF THE BIRDS.
Not One of Their Destroyers Can Be
Brought to Acknowledge That
They Are Guilty.

The pot hunter insists that he kills
the birds for use; to fill a long-felt
want, to feed the sick, and that it is
entirely scriptural to do SO. He de-
clares that to do this is much less
wanton and cruel than to hunt them
down and shoot them for sport, for
fun, merely to see the feathers fly
and the birds fall, says the Galveston
(Tex.) News.
The boy with traps catches quail
to sell for money to buy Christmas
doings or more useful articles. He
claims that he has no other means of
securing what he wants or needs, and
that he traps On the land which his
father owns. He asserts a property
in the birds thereon akin to the prop
erty right claimed in the chickens
and geese.
The sportsman, who glories in his
ability to bring down every bird,
claims that he is the only tru friend
the latter has. At one grand tourna-
ment in Kansas City he slew enough
| pigeons to pigeon the world. AS he
oSSo II, Nv Pob hulItCIS III SlOot
on the ground "a fowl which he could
SO deity and neatly bring down from
the sky is a miserable, worldly and
greedy fellow, unable to appreciate
the joy and glory of genuine sport.
AS he sees it, the boy with traps
gives the birds no chances for their
lives.
The oma who carries about upon
her head the remains of many feath-
cred songsters insists that they were
all killed before she bought them.
She would not dream of fastening
live wingsters down upon her hat,
albeit she worked along in that di-
wore upon her beautiful shoulders
the live chameleon. In time she may
decide to use live birds upon her hat
when she would create a futter in
society.
AS matters stand the bird has no
self-confessed enemy. The person
who wears the wings as ornaments
loves the beautiful aerial jewellers.
The individual who shoots the bird
is the birds devoted admirer. The
fellow who eats the quail on toast is
fond of the quail. 1t is apparent hat
most of US love him largely because
of the pleasure we find in shooting
him, in selling him, in eating him, i'll
wearing him upon u hats.
Under such circumstances nothing
but rigid laws, based upon stern ne
cessity, are going to save this friend
of which so many are SO fond. If
the bird actually consumes the boil
weevil, the green bug, or other pests
which threaten the crops and the
prosperity of the people, and if the
farmers arise in their wrath to put
IN end to the slaughter of the deni-
zens of the air for fun, sport or for
commercial purposes, then something
may be done to protect and save at
least a part of the birds. 1t is going
to require a general and sturdy pop
ular demand to accomplish this.
A great many people believe in
their heart of hearts that the AL
mighty created and bewinged these
creatures as targets for them to
shoot at. Others go to church with
the conviction that they are honoring
highly the memory of the songsters
whose bright plumage adorn their
hats. Still others fancy hat the
quail or the dove was let down in the
sheet with the four-footed beasts
seen by Peter, and that it would be
sinful not to kill and eat until there
is not a feather left. Considering all
this, it is safe to reassert that the
very first thing to do to secure ade-
quate protection for the birds is to
prove that it is absolutely necessary
to save them as a means of protec-
ting ourselves.