The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1908-08-05

q necessity in the Audubon scheme'
The work of every government in the
world rests on the same necessity:
The tendency of mankind is toward
democracy, and it is not difficult TO
understand that in the process of max
ing mankind democratic the citizen
should rise to a higher conception OF
duty and emerge on a broader plane OF
usefulness.
The individual member o: the Au-
dubon Society is the urit of the organ
ization.
This being understood, the work OF
saving the birds and the reason there
for may be discussed. Of course one
must understand that all Audubon
work is based on the work of the Bio
logical Survey at Washington, and IN
a few words the Biological Survey
may be explained. AS its name I'M
plies, it's work embraces a survey and
an investigation of the various forms
of life on the American continent ana
their distribution, such as birds, AMI
mails, fish, and so III. But in 1885 Dr.
G.. Hart Merriam, with one assistant,
began the work of investigating the
relations of birds to agriculture. The
present division of the department OF
agriculture known as the Biological
Survey, has grown out Of that modest
beginning.
The food of birds, and of families of
birds, is determined from a sclentlhc
examination of the birds stomach.
The exact proportion of insects, grains
and fruits that make up q birds diet is
thus fixed with absolute accuracy.
The stomach of each bird examined is
kept as a voucher.
The work had not proceeded far be-
fore it was discovered that agriculture
was largely dependent on the work OF
birds, for they alone were able to keep
in check the hordes of insects that
threatened every living plant with de-
s%truction. 1t was seen also that GER
tain hawks and owls were valuable be-
cause their food consisted principally
of meadow mice, and these rodents
create havoc in fruit and grain sections
throughout the country. 10 Kill q
bird whose principal food consisted or
meadow mice was to turn loose untold
thousands of these little animals on
the crops of the country. One hawk,
known as Swainson's Hawk, Is said to
save 500, 900 a year to the farmers OF
the West.
The United States was a pioneer IN
the work of investigating the relation
of birds to agriculture. Since the BIZ
illogical Survey began It's work all the
leading countries of the world have
taken up similar work and govern
ments are devoting time and care to q
patient study of the facts of the case:
Just a little before the Biological
Survey began it's wonderful work the
Audubon Society took up the task OF
preserving the song and insect birds OF
America from total destruction. Inc
society's first labor was the stopping
of the slaughter of herons for their
plumes. This was undertaken purely
from motives of humanity. 1t was
revolving to the best minds and hearts
of the country that one of the most
beautiful birds of the shore line should
be sacrificed on the altar of woman's
vanity. 1t was pointed out that the
white heron bore the plumes known as
aigrette plumes, osprey plumes, and 30
on, only during the nesting season,
and that the plumes were borne by the
mother bird only. She had two, and
but two, plumes. These plumes were
long enough for taking when the new
herons were about half grown. Hence
to got two plumes the mother and her
four or five young had to be sacrificed.
Pictures were shown of acres of dead
herons-all mother birds and pic
lures of scores of nests with the young
herons dead or dying of starvation.
This ended heron slaughter to a great
extent at once, and women refused TO
wear the feathers when they under.
stood what 1t cost to get them in blood
and slaughter, Since that was done
the Biological Survey has discovered
that the white heron is a valuable bird
because of its destruction of meadow
mice and nan harmful insects.
The work of the Biological Survey
of course gave the Audubon Society a
powerful and unanswerable argument
for preserving the birds. The very ex-
istence of the country depended on
saving the birds.
Examples could be multiplied to
prove this, but a few of the most strlk-
ing cases must suffice. In Kansas,
r after crop was destroyed by grass
hoppers. The Kansas farmer was
passing into the hands of the Eastern
money-lender and riotous scenes en-
sued. 1t is not too much to say that
Kansas was on the verge of civil war.
Somebody found out that turkeys ate
g~rasshoppers with relish and the rais-
ing of turkeys began everywhere IN
the State. The effect was magical.
Kansas is the largest shipper OF tur-
KEYS in the world to day and no more
crops are being lost through visitations
of grasshoppers.
The experience of Texas with the
Mexican boil weevil is recent history.
The scientists of the world went there
to fight the insect which was meDacing
the entire cotton industry with de-
struction. They could do nothing and
said 80, except to bring in the famous
Central American ant as a forlorn
hope. The ant ate the weevil, but not
in quantities sufficient to make any
considerable difference. When hope
was expiring the bullbat took a hand,
and the boil Weeyil was speedily re
duced to a point where he was no more
q menace. In fact, everywhere In the
State where the bullbatis at all numer.
Gus the boil weevil has been wiped
out. The chacalaca and the killdee or
ring-neck plover also helped in the
cause, but nothing did 80 much as the
bullbat. The pointing out of this fact
has been a revelation, and the State OF
Texas now sternly forbids the killing
of bullbats under heavy penalties.
The eggs are being bought and the at
tempt is being made to hatch them
out in incubators.