Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1908-01-09
AUDUBON SOCIETIES.
What They Are and what They "A.
vocate.
fBy II. II. Kopman. s,.c;,, ....,

Statrn hricny, the purpose Of an An.
dubon Society Is TO prevent the indis.
criminate killing N birds. This pm.
pose Is accomplished partly BY teaching
people that Jirds are not here expressly
to he shot. In other words, an Audubon
Society, while not opposed TO legitimate
hunting, seeks to create among the peo.
pie q varied interest in bird life. When
It succeeds in this work. birds are mot
associated entirely with the thought Of
hunting. The Audubon worker. believe
that hunting is part only Of mans
relation to birds. They deal with the
value Of the live bird; many hunters
deal only with the value OF the dead
bird. The bird protectionists claim that
most birds are more valuable alive than
dead, and that very few bird. are val
liable only when they are dead.
The Audubon Societies believe in the
vsfss Of hte birds for three principal
reasons; Their service To agriculture
their beauty, and their appeal to our
humane sentiments. We find that mos,
birds should be preserved for some or ali
OF thcse reasons. A few birds are most
valuable as food and as objects OF sport.
Fewer still are directly injurious to the
interests Of man. The destruction OF
these il not opposed by the Audubon
Societies.
so the question is not merely one
of sentimental objection to killing birds
but question of whether a bird is more
valuable to q hunter when il il dead
or more valuable To the average citizen
when II is alive. That j. the only test
by which the matter can b. settled,
for it Is social question. The coun-
try at large j. interested in its proper
solution. The birds do not belong to
any particular class. but they do he.
long exclusively and inslienably to the
whole people. There are comparatively
few birds whose destruction does not
cause loss to society. Society at
large, which does not hunt, is eonferring
favor upon the hunters, therefore,
when il permits them to kill its birds.
The hunters should recollect this, and
instead Of debating terms, as they some
times try to do, should be governed by
the interests Of the people in general,
who will assert themselves in the end.
and the more unyieldingly the longer
their interests are disresarded.
The most important way in which 30
eiety Is served by birds is the destrue-
tion Of injurious insects. Millions Of
dollars Of crops and timber are ruined
annually in this country by these insect
pests. All the important kinds Of such
insects are preyed on by various species
of bird-. The bulIbat. or nighthawk; I;
the flicker, or yellow hammer; the field
lark. the thrasher, the robin. and scores
II others are engaged in this warfare
against insect enemies. The country
cannot afford to sacrifice one of them to
the pct-hunter or the boy gunner. Ducks.
snipe, wild turkeys, these are game
birds, not the kinds whose song. plum
age and service to the farmer entitIe
them to absolute safety in our midst
People have been supposing for many
years that the majority of small birds
were fit for nothing, and that, therefore,
it was a matter of indifference whether
he killed them or not. Ii was supposed
TO rest with the conscience OF the indi-
vidual whether he was doing a wrong
a.. l-,If;,s, Sap,. suno-.aut anu.xk.xJ .,~ a,...
silent and inoffensive woodpeeker, bull
bat or rainerow. Now we know that the
individuals interest in the fate of these
birds Is only a trihe compared with the
sacrifice suffered by society when we
permit their killing; that, almost with
out exception, they are OF the highest
economic Importance to mankind.
These are the considerations that have
developed the Audubon work TO its pres
ent large proportions, and that have
created a term that sums up the atti-
tude of bird protection today. That
term is NoN-GAME. Nongame, in the
light of recent study, is the largest and
most important part Of the feathered
creation. Non-game, the birds we must
keep alive, the birds that are useful,
beautiful or harmless il nothing else.
In a word, the feathered creation Is
indispensable alive. Game is that small
part which the requirements of mans
nature seem to demand that he should
kill.
The following circular has been issued
by II. II. Kopman, special agent of the
National Association Of Audubon So
eieties, now stationed at Jackson The
circular is intended TO increase the mem-
bership of the Mississippi Audubon So
ciety, of which Andrew Allison, Ellis
vile, Miss, is secretary, and to whom
pessons desiring 70 join the Audubon
Society in this State should send their