Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-21

stands guard over the pellcanS, which are
resuming their previous fiourishing condi-
ton.
Protecting Terms From Milliners.
Another bird which has appeared to be
doomed simply because the milliners made
it fashionable is the tern. Several species
of these pretty-winged creatures used to
be abundant along our entire Atlantic coast
from New England to Florida Two spe-
cies bred abundantly on the New Jersey
coast but both We're nearly eXterminated
as early as 1888 to supply the millinery
trade. Some twenty years ago two men
on Tampa bay, Fla, made a contract to
deliver to the trade, 600 terms in single
season, and similar contracts have been
made on the coast of Virginia, Long Island
and Massachusetts. In one season 40, 900
We're shot on Cape Cod alone. The results
of this slaughter were swift and sure. and
not a tern of any kind was breeding on the
Florida grounds eighteen years ago.
SO last year Uncle Sam established as
a bird reservation Passage Key, off the
coast of Florida. Within three months after
its establishment there have been counted
$40 terms, 100 guls, 500 brown peiicans,
1890 mergansers and scattering numbers
of some fifty other species, all of which
may now hatch out their young unmolested.
Even more important a breeding ground
for terms is another new federal preserve,
including Breton Island and several other
keys of the mouth of the Mississippi. A
to the Department of Agriculture shows
thousands of terms collected for the sum-
mer breeding.
Protection of the Duck.
Thousands of ducks of various species,
especially mallards breed during the win
ter on these islands, which will thus serve
a manifold purpose. The new Stump Lake
bird reservation in North Dakota is also
an extensive breeding ground for ducks,
end during the autumn forms a haven of
refuge for many sorts OF migratory water
fowl on their way south.
The biological survey is doing further
work for the protection of the duck by
deavoring to have the states prohibit spring
shooting of these valuable game fowls.
a great majority of the states tolerate the
shooting of ducks in the spring season,
when they are hurrying to their nesting
grounds, and although they are often in
Wretched condition for market at this time.
Although there are large breeding grounds
for ucks-particularly in Iowa, the Da-
kotas. Wyoming and Colorado-these states
still permit duck shooting as late as the
middle of April or first of May, whereas
IL few of the states striving TO spare the
species from determination forbid their
slaughter after February /. AS result of
this Indifference on the part of most of
the states, the wood duck often called the
summer duck is on the very verge of ex-
termination at the present time.
The wood duck is the most beautiful of
the duck family. 1t is noted for it's lack
of ShyneSs and often lives near towns and
farmhouses, where it is even seen feeding
with barnyard ducks. 1t takes kindly to
domestication and is easily tanned ard in
duced to breed in captivity. ''Sportslnen
willing TO deny themselves a little present
sport for the sake of future gain to them
selves and posterity should spare no efforts
10 rave and restore this beautiful bird"
said Ornithologist A K. Fisher of the BIZ
illogical survey. 'If spring shooting be
abolished the wood duck will gradually re-
turn TO its old haunts and by degrees re-
establish itself-to the joy and satisfaction
of al lovers of nature"
In Lake Superior, Mich. the government
has lately established also the Huron and
Siskiwit bird reservations, which areas are
herring gull thus far discovered in the in
terror of the country
Prairie Chickens and Quail.
AS a preserve for the. propagation of
quail, prairie Chickens wild turkeys and
big game the President has lately set aside
also $1,000 acres in Oklahoma. 1t viii be
known as the Wichita game reserve and
will be the first large game refuge OF the
kind in the United States The law au-
step toward utilizing the forest reserves
as game preserves
The prairie chicken will here find a much
needed refuge, A single consignment of
game from Nebraska received at Chicago
a few months before the Lacey law went
into effect, contained no less than eighty
seven barrels of these birds, and a rough
estimate of the number killed In Nebraska
that season, was 5000, 000-nea all for
-