Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-22

FINDER careful supervision of the
national government there were
admitted into the United States
~ last year 100000 immigrants un-
marked by students of sociologi-
cal questions and ignored by operators OF
factories and coal mines. These were
the feaAhered varieties. birds in their
cages which flow in with an ever-ln-
creasing stream from every corner OF
the globe coming to take up place In the
life of hustling western country and
add their mite. be it a spot of brilliant
color or a note of gladness. to the &C
tivities of the time and place
There were neve- before many birds
brought to this country in single yea.
While the increase in the human cargOes
of the ocean liners was attracting the at
tention Of the world a comparatively
greater increase was going on in the bird
immigration. and while the public knew
little OF il there was as careful watch
upon it upon the other, and as many
regulations thrown around the comfort
and the des: ability of the birds as the
human immigrants. For the Department
of Agriculture maintains a biological sur
vey. and one of its specified duties Is to
control and operate the bird immigration
entry 1t would be difficult for an un-
desirable alien with feathers to gain ad-
mission as for one with a pigtail.
In the year 1902 there were ABB birds
brought into the United States. and the
number for the year ending June 80. 1906.
had increased to ::22,297. or - per cent
in four years Then comes the great ac-
tivity and at single flight the hgures
mount to 100000 in a single year. making
an advance of 25 per cent and breaking all
immigration records. The figures are accu-
rately known. for it is necessary in order
to import a bird of any description that
a permit be COTTON from the biological
survey to do SO. and this is the num-
Der of the permits issued.
Bird immigration laws came into exist
cncc because of the fact that certain
varieties had been introduced into the
United States that. had become very |
great pests and destructive to crops and |
property. The English sparrow was |
Irotable example, and the patriots who
frame laws and save the country were
anxious that such a thing should no'
recur Then there were disturbing re-
ports from such lands as New Zealand,
where the settlers. recalling the old nome
haunts in the mother. country and the
birds that had sung on the WINDOW Sill
of their childhood. had brought those
birds TO the new land and bred and I'D
Grated them
Very often these were puny and did
not readily develop in numbers In their
bugs and new seeds 10 be eaten ana the
English twitterers scorned anything put
the diet of their native lano ana aieo
of hunger and broken hearts. OCCASION
ally however the transplanted blrds TOOK
hold vigorously and multiplied incredibly
They thrived far beyond the custom IN
their native surroundings 1T was at lrs'
= matter of much debate as 10 the occa-
son of this Increase IN NUMBERS WIN
81 much greater rapidity than In the ma
tive habitat and ii was attributed TO the
intrinsic vigor of new land ana 10 causes
that are said to breed d more vigorous
human race on new SOL. ms iuVa
vas. however finally given over IN view
of the discovery of a fact that eApidiieo
certain unusual developments
A given bird might flourish on a given
insect that was entirely Ignored by an
~ her class of bird. This insect might
hn most abundant in given community
and. the local birds refusing 1t as diet,
IL would increase in plenltuoe. me ne"
introduction might possess taste "
yaloped through the generations for that
very bug. and. placed among 1t IN aoun-
dance would flourish and propagate RAPID
w Further. being a new memper III the
society into which it was thrust 'ueie
might be no developed taste Iof the new
conner on the part of hawks ana Owls
and such natural enemies, ana IL mlehl
be allowed to multiply prodlgiousiy WIN
no counteracting influence. Sucn nas
been the case with many OF tEe Ehslisi
such was the case with the Englsh spar
row when brought to America.
In the fear of these unfortunate oeNei-
opments of numbers in certain olrds II
has been deemed wise to carefully stuu!
the various immigrants before ALLOWING
them to land. and where they are founo
undesirable to- return them to the couh-
try from which they came. So TAR there
has heen no offense given To any of the
rulers of bir,iland, and no diplomatic re-
lations have, been broken off. Even the
Pacific coast may throw up the exclusion
barrier with no dread of antagonlzlhs
the central government or oHendlnS
supersensitive far fasteners
Among those pronounced unueslTaple
hy the government experts and. as a con-
sequence excluded is the English SKY
lark declared menace To certain crops;
the English blackbird, which Is similar
10 our robin and fruit eater: the
starting the European song thrush, gold
finch and great titmouse. The flying FOX,
or vampire bat of India. is as carefully
excluded as would be the plague. as are
Xarjous species from various lands. the
service. having the power 10 put up the
Dars against any bird at any time 1t sees
a possibility of it's becoming d menace
to take up "A residence so are lew birds
exported from this country. There was
time when great numbers of them were
sent abroad and found ready sale. their
collectors realizing large profits. So ac-
tive did the trade become, however, that
the birds Of the country were threatened
with extinction. and one state after an
other passed laws prohibiting the traffic,
until il has entirely ceased. The breeding
cs Gagged birds for export or even the
local market is line of industry that
is little developed in America, while II is
worth millions TO England. Germany ana
other continental countries.
Three-fourths of the birds imported into
The United States are canareS. They
come largely from Germany. that cum
Try having become the greatest breeding
center for this bird II being said that
they are now exported from Germany to
the Canary Islands from which place
they found their way into Europe some
time before Isabella and Ferdinand sent
Columbus yoy aging. Next in numbers to