The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1906-01-31
Save S I! THE: {: BIRDS. B.
Prof. Pearson Pleads for a Law
to Protect Them From.
THE DESTROYERS.

Who Murders Them at All Seasons for
she Cruel Sport Of Seeing Them
Die. Birds Are Among the
Best Friends Of the
Farmer.
In his lecture on South Carolina
birds at the State house in Columbia
Prof. Pearson spoke as follows:
"Gentlemen of the Legislature OF
South Carolina:
1T gives me much pleasure to
come before you tonight in the capac'
ity of a representative Of that won.
derful class Of animals to which man
kind ia perhaps more Indebted than
to all other groups Of wild animal life
combined. -
'The wild birds every action 1s a
movement for the betterment OF man.
To the casual observer this Is not al
WAYS apparent. While In a reflective
mood the moonlight song OF the
nnocking bird may family stir bis sen'
tIment, or the honk Of the wild goose
NAV cause him to bark back to some
incident Of childhood; yet the sight
of a woodpecker stealing a mulberry
will so arouse his resentment against
the feaShered race and cause the lust
for blood to 80 bedim his eyes that he
will fail to SEQ the. unending good
which the birds are doing.
1.-THE reason men do not care more
for birds is because they know them
30 little.J The average person seldom
sees q wild bird except when 1t Is
fleeing from him In mortal terror. Ii
YOU would really know their habits,
90 to some favorable point on the
border of the woods and sit quietly
on some fallen tree or stump until the
birdsnof the neighborhood have re-
sumed their wanton activity. have
known men who die this to be utterly
sstoundsd at what they saw.
Among the fallen leaves on the
ground the thrasher, the thrush and
the toWhse are industri scratch.
ing for worms and insects. All
through the shrubbery and bushes the
varblers are examining for places
where the insects live. Along the
trunks of the trees the woodpeckers
and nuthatchers and ch.ckadees are
prying and pseping into every crack
or crevics where q bug can hide. The
vi-eoes and orioles and tanagers are
leaving no leaf unturned among the
upper branches. While above all
there courses through the sky the
swallows and swifts which are strik
Ing upon the wing those insects en-
deavoring to escape the consuming
fury beneath. Even at night the
work goes on; for then the whippoor-
will, the bull-b and the owl popula.
tion is abroad.
"All Summer long this work Of de-
struction continues, and when the
frosss OF winCer have caused the In
sect world to fall asleep, and we turn
60 the bare brown fields, here IN
every weed patch and sunny hillside
NAV be found lfocks from the u
species of native South Carolina spar
rows, eating the seeds Of the grass
and noZious weeds, which would
otherwise sprout in the spring to
choke the farmers crops.
''But even now the work OF insect
destruction does not cease; for all day
long the woodpeckers and nuthatohes
and creapers and scanning the tree
trunks for the capsules Of insect eggs
tackled away behind the bark against
the warm days Of spring when they
would hatch and the larvae come
forth like o scourge upon the leaves OF
the fruit and forest trees. 2, "
"Our government experaS tell us
that ono-tenah Of the entire Rgrieul-
tural products Of South Carolina IL
annually o total loss from tho roVs.
ges of insects, and many vell-informed
1nturalists unite with the statement
that il 1t were not FOR the destructive
meas OF the wild birds, insects would
become no numerous % 20 shortly
rsader ahe earth uninhsbisable by
laen.
| South Carolina is naturally rich In
bird life. From the mountains to the
ssa the species number something
over 300. Each species has part to
play in the great comedy Of nature;
although the good which some do Is
much more apparent than the good
wrought by others.
"Here is the way we have treated
the birds Of Carolina. There are mon
within the sound of my voice who can
remember the times when focks oi
wild pigeons passed over this region
In such numbers that single flight
would be hours in passing q given
point, and the shadow OF whose wings
would fall like the darkness from a
storm cloud. The pigeon will always
be here, said our people. 'Lo, 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 no man In bis
room, the age OF the speaker, bas
ever seen a passenger pigeon wild In
the State of South Carolina.
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