The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-09-03
SLAIN BIRD RACES
CEDED HAUNT MAY SAVE NATIONS
 WATER FOWL.
President's Grant of Bird Havens Grasped as Great Chance-Au- dubon Workers to Ward on
 Further Slaughter.

New York, Sept. 2.--To insure per- petual home refugees to many millions of the dying races of America's water fowl two of the largest bird reserva- tions In She world have today been turned over by the government to the care of the National Association of Audubon Societies in this city.
 Almost three hundred square miles of the most thickly populated haunts of water birds on this continent arc included in these two tracts in Ore- gon and California about the Klamath. Malhe eur and Harney lakes. Where an army of the worlds plume and market hunters have practically exterminated the white heron. grebes terms. ducks, geese and pelicans of this once pro- life region at profits of thousands of dollars a week. the Audubon officials declared today that they could restore whole races of the slaughtered wild fowl. if the people of the country would rally behind them in this late chance for some restitution of the na- tion's winged resources.
 For three years at frequent Inter- vals two daring explorers of the Au- dubon association have been bravinK the dangers of nature and the wild poacher bands in this remote region to secure the information upon which the President has quickly acted. Push- ing about by automobile, canvass ca- noe and raft. Finley ana Bohlman, both expert ornithologists, have eager ly sought to master the secrets of these wild haunts of the birds and their butchers.
 Today their reports have convinced the authorities that their task has been accomplished and not . minute too soon. Where a few years ago the commercial hunters admit making sS,- 600 in one summer by the slaughter of the aigret- bearing heron. scarcely a single specimen of this beautiful bird could be found after months of search. The silvery breasted grebe still survives throughout these im- portant breeding grounds, though its slayers confess to single shipments of its tiny skins worth sac. .000.
 From the Klamath region alone, hundreds of tons of butchered ducks have been shipped to market in recent years, the Audubon officials assert, some hundred and twenty tons of their carcasses having been removed from this breeding ground in the season of 1905. Strengthening a hundred and fifty ducks a day each member of the gangs that infest the region have sent a constant procession of wagon loads of their prey away for many years.
 In spite of this ceaseless carnage, however. 1t has been found that ducks, geese terms cormorant' grebes, peli- cans. great blue heron and gulls still frequent these, their natrual homes, in the breeding season and still greater hosts during the vernal and fall mi- grating periods.
 To retake for the birds their an- cestral homing grounds from the des- perate force of poachers that still in- fests the region and threatens violence to all bird guards, a force of hardy wardens and a little fleet of stout boats must be at once sent to the front by the Audubon workers. Every Inch of the fastnesses over which the wild fowl have trustfully strewn their eggs must be carefully guarded at all times in wind and weather.
 Though every resource of the asso- ciaton Is taxed today to maintain the score of similar reservations upon which the work of restoring the coun- try's water fowl is being pushed. its officers declared today that they did not despair of rising to the greatest opportunity of all winch has just been opened to them.
 "Pestilence and plague Is staring the whole country in the face with the alarming decrease of natures scaven- gers, the water fowl, while market butchery threatens to put an end to all game," said William Butcher. presI- dent of the National Association of Au- duhon Socetes at its headquarters, 141 Broadway, today. "At last our explor- ations and the prompt action of the President have given us a chance to restore the most important source of this bird life in the country. l be- Iieve that every American who has an ounce of patriotic pride will raly to help us hold these vast tracts of homes for our birds. as soon as he learns Of the opportunity.
 "If the people do not rise to sup mort us now at this critical juncture. I fear we may be obliged to let slip a golden and final opportunity to re- store its water fowl to the country.