Amador ledger., 1908-02-28
BIRDS NEED CHILD
HELP.
School Army Enlisting to
Save Crop Guards.

million school children in this coun-
try final hope of averting the extinc-
ton of the valuable species of insec
tivorous birds in America has been
rested to-day. What the federal gov
eminent, the state legislatures, and
even the oranges, women's clubs or
national commercial organizations
have failed to accomplish completely,
the national association of Audubon
societies have announced will now be
given TO the children of the land to
bring about. 10 organize every body
of pupils, from the largest public
school In this city to the most remote
district school on the Pacific coast,
into general movement for housing,
feeding and projecting the wild birds
that save the countrys crops is the
object of the Audubon workers to-
day.
General headquarters for this new
campaign of the children are being
established in the offices of the ma
tiopal association of Audubon socie-
ties at l4l Broadway to-day. Already
the organization is in touch with
thousands of teachers and girls aud
boys clubs all over the country, to
which 1t has regularly sent literature
ON bird guarding and care. With these
as Il nucleus, the children are to push
tho fight out into every section of
their locality, till the mem bers are
enlisted in the work of building bird
houses and restaurants to sustain the
SADLY thinned ranks of the teathered
army of insect destroyers. Special
ammunition in the form of printed
directions and suggestions for making
bird shelters aud lunch counters is
being prepared for every boy and girl
who will write and ask for it.
Old kettles, boxes, or milk, tomato
and kerosene cans are being used by
the children as emergency bird shell
tiers. Elaborate houses, rustic imita
tions of hollow limbs and neatly fur
nished apartments are also beirg
planned. 4 must be made cat proof
and should face to the south or west
if possible. Like any human married
couple, the feathered pair who are
seeking quarters for rearing their
family in the spring are quite partic-
ular in their tastes. III they fiud no
promising spot for home in any To-
cality, they will pass on and leave it's
fields aud gardens atthe mercy of de-
structive insects. The children are
urged to the immediate building of
houses for this seasons bird families,
structures most quickly tempt the
birds when spring moving day comes.
The march of civilization has robbed
millions of useful as we'll as slightly
and tuneful birds of their oldtime
facilities for home making, ornithol-
ogists here declared to-day. Shell
tering tree trunks are being laid low
every year over hundreds of acres.
The old fashioned structures, where
BIRDS might flock under open caves,
are being replaced, by modern roofs
that shut out bird life. Whole races,
like the chimney swifts, are being de-
prived of their shelter in the big old
style chimneys. Such conditions,
combined with lax laws for spring
shooting and pot-hunting, will soou
drive the valuable insect caters to ex-
tinction, it is agreed. 1t will be the
children's work to house the evicted
birds at the time when they not only
rear their young but eat most copious
ly of the insect crop destroyers.
1.-The children are now the great fac
tors in this great economic move
ments," said William butcher, pIesi-
dent of the national association of
Audubon societies, to day. "Not only
their patriotism hut the self interest
motive for preventing the extinction
of the beautiful and highly valuable
birds of the country. We are calling
on congress, the legislatures of the
entire country and on every adult
body to help; but | believe the work
of the school children of the land
Will accomplish more than all the
other lethods combined, 1t is fire
chance for every boy aud girl to do
something for his village. state and
the country at large, aud l know they
will not neglect to do their nart. Save
the birds, is the motto and rallying
cry of the school children of Ameri-
ca.