Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-21
SAYS GAME COMMISSION
OPPOSES BIRD PROTECTION

PASADENA, Aug. 14.-[Editor Her
adj: 1t is very rarely that l ever see
anything in The Herald editorials that
l cannot fully indorse, but / want to
protest against your editorial Sports
mems Protest" in today's issue.
Regarding the disposition of the large
amount of money which the fish and
game commission receives from hunt
ers' licenses /, and other bird lovers,
have often wondered why more of this
is not spent in enforcing the bird laws,
and in distributing information about
the usefulness of certain wild birds and
animals.
The chief grievance I have against
the fish and game commission is, that
1t has repeatedly worked against the
passage of laws advocated by the Au-
dubon societies and sportsmen general
ly for the better preservation of certain
species Of birds. Take, for instance,
the new law prohibiting the sale of
plumage of wild birds. The fish and
game commission knew, as well as the
Audubon societies, that certain wild
birds were in danger of complete ex-
tinction, and yet it opposed the Audu-
bon bill.
The Audubon societies also tried to
secure better protection for doves, but
were opposed by the fish and game
commission. The dove is one of the
most useful of all birds to agricultur-
lists. Its food consists of vast quanti-
ties of the seeds of noXious and harm
full weeds. many thousands of these
seeds having been taken from the stom-
ach of one dove.
Until the Audubon society of Pasa-
dena first agitated to secure protection
for the song birds, only two or three
species We're protected by law in. an
Indifferent way. Now, all the wild
birds are protected all the time, ex-
cepting only eight kinds classed as
harmful. For this legislation the peo-
pie have to thank the Audubon So
cieties more than the fish and game
commission.
Now about the boy who was brow
beaten" for hunting without license.
OF course 1 do not advocate brow
beating, but the boy should have been
arrested. What is the use of the Au-
dubon societies spending their good
money and working so hard to protect
the birds and enforce the laws If eY-
cry fourteen-year-ol boy is exempt
from obeying them?
We Audubons know more about the
boy hunter problem than perhaps any
one else. 1t is a continual thorn in our
sides. The young boy with gun who
says he hunts only in season and shoots
no protected birds. is about as truth
full as the boy with an air gun or sling
shot who says he never uses them to
shoot birds.
At the last legislature the fish and
game commission advocated the eX-
emption of all young boys from paying
hunter license fees, and the Audubon
societies of course opposed this. The
Pasadena society last year printed and
distributed 10000 circulars, cards and
notices advocating bird protection and
setting forth the law. We have no
state or county help in this work, and
scarcely a sportsman in our member
ship list. 1t is purely labor of love,
and we would like to know why this
important end of bird protective work
should be left to the charitably inclined,
and why the fish and game commission
does not help us out with more wardens
to enforce the laws and with educa-
tional literature. JEUNE HOMME.