The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1906-01-31
Prof. Pearson Pleads for q Law
to Protect Them From
TIE DESTROYERS.
Who Murders Them at ALI Seasons sol
the Cruel Sport Of Seeing Them
Die. Birds Are Among the
Best Friends CT the
Farmer.

Farmer.
In his lecture On South Carolina
birds at the State house in Coiunois
Prof. Pearson spoke as follows:
"Geptlemen Ct the Legislature OF
South Carolina:
1T gives noe much pleasure to
come before ycu tonight in the capac
ttv OF a representative OF that Won
derful class OF animals to which man
kind is perhaps more Indebted than
to sll other groups OF wild animal Life
combined.
''The wild birds every action is q
movement for the bstuernent OF man.
To the casual observer this IS not al
ways Apparent. While In reflective
mood the moonlight song OF the
ncckiog bird may family stir his SEN
tinent, OF the honk Of 5ne wild goose
NAV cause him to bark back to some
incident OF childhocd; yet the sight
Of a woodpscker stealing g mulberry
will so arouse bis resentment against
tia festhere6 race aGd cause the luss
for blood to so bedln his eyes that be
will fail to see the unending gooo
which the birds are 6oirg.
''The reason men do not care more
for birds Is because they know them
50 little. The average person seldom
sees a wild bird except when 1t Is
fleeing from him in mortal terror. Il
,cu would really know their habits,
90 to some favorable point on the
border Of the woods and sit quietly
on scme fallen tree or stump until the
birds OF the neighborhCod have re
suneS their Wan5on activity. have
known men who did this to be utterly
astoulded at what they saw.
Among the fallen leaves On the
ground the thrasher, the thrush and
the towhee are inGustrious'y scratch.
ine for worms and insects. All
through the shrubbery and bushes tne
warblers are examining for places
where the insects live. Along the
trunks OF the trees the wooopeckers
and nuthatchers and ch:ckadees are
pryine and peeping into every crack
or crevies where bug can hide. The
ytreoes and orioles and tanagers are
leaving no Leaf untu-neo among the
npper branches. While above all
there courses through the sky the
swallows and swifts which are strlk
ing upon the wing those insects en-
6esvcripg to escape the consuming
fury beneath. Even at night the
vork goes or; for then the whippoor-
will, the bull bat and the owl populs-
tion is abroad.
'tAll Sumner long this work OF de-
st,ucticn continues, and when the
frosts Of wln.er have caused the In.
sect world to fall asleep, and we turn
to the bare brown fields, here IN
every weed patch and sunny hi!l.1de
NAV be found focks iron the Il
species CT native South Carolina spar
rows, eating the seeds OF the grass
and noxious weeds, which would
otherwise sprou5 in the Srrlng to
choke the farmsrs' crops.
But even now the work OF insect
destruction does not cease; for ail DAY
long the wcodpeckers and nuthatches
ana creepers snd scanning the tree
trunks for the capsules OF insect eggs
tackled sway behind the bark against
the warm days Of spring when tney
would hatch and the larvae come
forth like scoulge upon the leaves OF
the fruit and forest trees.
''Our government experts tell US
that one-tentn OF the entire agricul-
tural products Of South Carolina is
annually a total loss from the raVa-
ees OF insects, and many veil informed
naturslists unite with the statement
that il it were not for the destructive
ness OF the wild birds, insects would
become 80 numerous as to shortly
render the earth uninhabltable Dy
men.
South Carolina is naturally rich IN
bird life. From the mountains to the
sea the species number something
over 800. Each species has a part TO
play in the great comedy ct nature;
although the good which some do is
much more apparent than the gooo
wrought by Others.
ssHere is the way we have treated
the birds Of Carolina. There are men
within the sound Of my voice who can
renember the times when focks OF
wild pigeons passed over this region
in such numbers that single fight
would be hours IN passing a given
point, and the SHADOW OF whose wings
would fail like the darkness from a
storm cloud. The pigeon will always
be here said our people. Id, let US
slay and eat, and shoot for sport and
fatten our hogs upon the bodies OF
the pigeon Today the pigeon Is
gone, and probably 10 man IN bis
rocm, the age OF the speaker, Las
ever seen passenger pigeon WIG n
the State Of South Carolina.
'sThe ivory. billed woodpeeker, the
largest Of that noble family, has be-
come extinct in this State.
1.-THE only parrot found IN North
America, named the Carolina paro-
QUE. because OF its abundance IN
Carolina, is now extinct within the
borders o: this State.
when some years ago the CRY went
forth from New York for feathers OF
birds with which to supply the MILL
merry trade, the Carollnas became the
great field OF activity e the plume
hunters.
Vessels were fitted out with pro