The gold leaf., 1908-07-23
Rescue Robins.
Battle Won for Red Breast
Birds Opens Fight for ALL
Audubon Workers Cham
pion Crop Savers-Nation
Faces Peril if Insect Eaters
Die.

Special Correspondence.
New York, July 1S.-After four
years Of desperate fighting the first
battle for Robin Red Breast has
today been won in Louisiana, the
heart of the section where this favor
tie American song bird is butchered
by the million for the market. That
the robin has at last been removed
from the list of game birds by the
Legislature OF the Creole State was
announced today at the headquar-
teTs OF the National Association of
Audubon Societies. AS the first
fruits of persistent campaign of
education in the South, the officers
of the Association declare, their vic
tory will mean the saving OF dollars
worth of crops for each tiny carcass
spared as a tid-bit for the gourmand.
By Il close vote the law makers of
Louisiana have repealed the old game
bird law i'll which the robin was
classed as game and have decreed NO
open season for the wholesale de-
stFuctiOn of the slightly species, q
million members of which were butch
cred for their mOuthfuls of meat last
year alone. Only Texas and Ala
bama of all the Southern States now
possess similar statutes, though it
is declared that sentiment in the
South is becoming generally aroused
against the slaughter of these favor
ite birds of the country while they
winter in lower ATTITUDES.
That successful agriculture in this
country would become impossible
and vegetation soon be destroyed if
the robin and his brother birds were
eXteFminated has Just been asserted
by Professor Henshaw of the Biolog-
ical Survey, and the Audubon au-
thorities declare that his warning
may come too late if this victory for
the robin is not followed by a general
campaign to preserve and even in
crease every such race of birds. Sci
entific examination of hundreds OF
robins hasi shown that almost half
of their diet is composed of the in
sects that mean sure destruction to
the trees and crops of the land These
very insects, it has been proven,
damage the cOuntry's crops to the
extent of S500,000,000 annually,
while their added ravages of woods
and stored crops, it is calculated
rob the land of nearly billion dol
lars each year. Though insect pests
are known to be increasing, their
natural destroyers, the birds, are
being gradually exterminated at al
alarming rate, it is declared.
To open the eyes of the public to
this crucial situation the National
Association of Audubon Societies has
been exerting its utmost resources
for years in general educational
campaign. Encouraged by the re-
suits of this work for the robins il
Louisiana, the officers of the Associ
alton declared today that every
means at their command would be
used throughout the country to
arouse the people to the value of the
dying birds.
This is time of great emergency
and the people must act at once by
preserving their bird resources, be
fore it is too late" said William
butcher, president of the Association
at its offices, 141 Broadway, today
Il know that some few people realize
the gravity of the situation, for / an
receiving contributions with letters
asserting that this work is second
only IN economic Importance to for
est preservation. We are trying tt
reach every man, woman and chile
in this broad land with the story o
our common danger, and we want
every bird lover, farmer, merchant
and citizen of any walk in life to hell
us push the enormous task we have
undertaken for the economic good o
every american