Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1907-01-17

at the ponds or conceal themselves In
blinds, or follow the birds in boats.
The report also takes up the mat
ter of killing by Italians and other
foreigners, who have been regarded
as such cources OF destruction that
the legislature has just passed a law
forbidding their shooting birds with
out license, for which they must
pay $40.
danger to the smaller birds, and, tor
that matter, to all birds, is the fast
increasing horde of foreigners, mainly
Italians, who come here from their
native lands to engage in contract
labor Most of these men seem to
be sportsmen, hunters or trappers IL
their way, but they regard everything
that weass fur or feathers as game.
These people go out in small parties,
most of them armed with guns, and,
in some cases at least, shoot at nearly
every living thing they see. | have
been told that IL SO much as a song
sparrow gets up, the whole party
shoots at it. Some OF these gentry
came into my yard in Medford in
1895. and shot a pair of bluebirds
that were nesting there. The birds
are not shot for profit, for their little
bodies will not pay for half the am
munition fired at them. They are
shot for sport, and it is said they are
afterward eaten. These people also
trap and net birds. Several OF them
have been arrested in Middlesex
Fells Reservation with live birds in
baskets, which they had caught by
means OF twigs covered with bird
lime. Bluebirds, orioles, thrushes,
purple finches and boDonnks are Ia
forites with these trappers, who take
them for export as cage birds. Most
OF the birds do not live to reach
Europe
Boys with guns are next treated
and are regarded as about as ae-
structive as foreigners. Next comes
the discussion of the much agitated
millinery question and the dispute is
disposed of in this satisfactory man
ner:
Those who write OF millioners
hunters detroying birds seem to refer
mainly to the past, as the demand
for the plumage of native birds does
not now warrant people in taking
the risks incurred by breaking the
laws to obtain them. This was once
very serious evil in the case of the
gulls and terms, and from 1870 to 1880
1t was menace to such birds as
orioles, tanagers and bluebirds; but
shooting of small birds Tor this pur-
post probably never became general
enough in Massachusetts to do very
serious harm. My correspondence on
this subject indicates that very few
men are now hunting in this state to
supply milliners."
Much space is given to the natural
enemies Of birds and tie destruction
Is depicted as great, but the part OF
most consequence from the human
point of view is that caused by cats
and dogs, of which the report says:
The only destructiveness of the
cat Is noted not only by the greatest
number of observers. but. with re-
markable unanimity nearly all who
report on the natural enemies OF
birds place the cat first among aes-
tructive animals. The domestic cat
then, introduced, fed pampered and
petted by man, leads the list. ana
sometimes leads even the sportsman
In number OF birds killed per day.
Mr. Brewster tells of days hunt
by four sportsmen with their dogs
in which they killed but one game
bird, bob-white. On their return
at night TO the farmhouse where they
were stopping, they found that the
old cat had beaten tneir score. hav.
ing brought in, during the day. two
bob-whites. and one grouse. Re
ports OF the eats destructiveness
come from every county in the state.
Cats in good hunting grounds will
average at least fifty birds each per
year. have recorded heretofore
the destruction of all the young birds
IN six nests and two of the parent
birds by one eat in day. Cats Kill
for the sake of killing. and destroy
more birds than they can eat. They
take a savage pleasure in playing