Los Angeles herald., 1909-05-30
PROTECTED BIRDS
STAY MANY FISH
ERRORS FOUND IN LATEST
GAME LAWS
TERMS, HERoNs AND DIVERS
FEED ON SPAWN
Correspondent of Smithsonian lnstltu-
ton Sketches Habits of Creatures
That Prey on Young Deni-
zens of the Sea
RY JARS YoN scnMIpr

A BONE the entrance to the Un1Ver-
~ sity in Prague is written the
Al chronograph: LEX CIVIVM DVX
which, besides conveying to the read
er the year of the foundation of the
university, means the law is the leader
or guide of the citizens. The author
of that inscription had no doubt good
laws in view No legislation is bad,
but bad legislation is worse than none
The first is preferable
The legislative session of 1909 in Cal
ifonia has, | understand, at the advice
or instigation of the Audubon society,
amended section 637a of the penal code,
protecting some of the worst enemies
of our fish industry: The terms, all div
er varieties, and some herons. The
world is full of animals that more or
less prey on each other. and 1t is lett
to men to decide judiciously which
should be protected and which should
be destroyed.
To do it intclligently, a careful study
of natural history is imperative, and
when legislators are not familiar with
the life and habits of animals they
should ask the advice of men who are,
before making laws that are absurd
and ridiculous. They could ask the ad-
vice of the Smithsonian institution in
Washington, d. c., which would be the
most competent judge in such matters.
Calls Tern Pest
l have been corresponding with this
institution for twenty years and have
occasionally supplied it with crops of
birds, to ascertain the food they live on.
| will enumerate now some of the
lately protected birds and their habits:
(a) The great tern (Sterna hirundo),
often COMPOUNDED with the seagull, but
entirely different i'm its habits. While
the seagull takes some fish, it is too
clumsy to catch Manipulating dead tsh
and all kinds of refuse for food. Inc
seagul is especially useful in following
the pillow and destroying vast quanti-
ties of beetles and larvae in the fields,
and therefore ought to be protected.
The great tern is the worst pest in
destroying our fish They appear in
great numbers about February every
year, and begin their depredations
along our sea shores. and especially in
our ocean inlets They lay their eggs
in the sand dunes and sit on them only
during the night or in very foggy or
rainy weather The sun does the in
cubating in the daytime.
Live on Young Fish
They live only on young fish, and
feed their young ones only on fish,
which they tear into small pieces for
them. / have killed a good many of
them for taxidermist purposes, and
never found anything else in their
crops but fish young barracuda, boz
nita. bass, smelt, etc.) This tern does
not go farther inland than two or three
miles, and locates mostly near ocean
inlets, where our sea fish deposit their
spawn.
The Bolas Chica Gun club owns an
ocean frontage of more than three miles
and a sweet water basin or inlet OF
more than 1000 acres, protected from
the influx of the ocean by dam and
wonderfully adapted for the propaga--
ton of black bass. The club has stocked
these waters repeatedly with black bass
for nearly ten years. but has not been
able to increase the number of fish ma
teria1ly while inland reservoirs and
lakes, which have been stocked only
once, are literally alive with bass,
Why? Mostly because these birds do
not go inland. On this ocean front of
three miles at the Bolsa Chica about
5000 terms live and breed during seven
or eight months every year.
XIII Millions of Fish
The smallest number of young fish
which each of these birds kills every
day is ten to twenty, or about $4,000
day, or 100000 during the season.
Take into consideration that this is
only the damage done on an ocean front
of three miles, and figure out the loss
of fish on the whole Pacific coast, and
YOU will find figures that will startle
you. Think of it, We have a game
and fish commission, which is very
laudable institution, to protect and
propagate fish and game.
Now, these birds alone destroy more
fish in one month than the fish commits
sion can raise in its hatcheries and dis
tribute in one year. What an anomaly!
The wardens of the fish commission
have to enforce this ridiculous law in
protecting the worst enemies of their
wards.
should not wonder if tender-heart
cd women will start, in the near future
a society for the protection of ground
squirrels, gophers or mice, and ask our
congress to pass laws to that effect.
Black Tern Useful
The population of the earth is in
creasing with every hour, and it is the
duty of men to study how to increase
its resources. Animals that are not fit
for human food but destroy other ami
mails which are useful, must be de-
stroyed themselves.
(b1 The lesser tern (Sterna mlnuta) has
the same habits as the great tern, and
no redeemng features. There is only
one variety of tern which is harmless
or rather useful-the black tern or
marsh tern (Sterna aranea). This spe-
cies migrates through Southern Cali
fornia, but is very rare and does not
stay long 1t does not frequent the sea
hoppers. flies and other insects. | have
seen but very few specimens of this
bird during my stay of twenty-nine
years in California. This is the only
species of tern that ought to be pro-
tected.
Divers Are Harmful
(c) The loon, or great diver (Colym-
bus glacialis) and all other diver Varie-
ties and grades, are the worst pests
and most dangerous enemies of fish
because they are excellent fishers They
are all unfit for human food, but de-
stroy millions of young fish and their
spawn.
Iieht heron and the white heron) are
almost exclusively living on fish and
frogs. The only redeeming feature is
that they occasionally get mouse or
erasshopper.
now have enumerated the principal
Offenders among the lately protected
birds None of these birds can be
eaten, and the only thing in their favor
is their beauty; but you cannot afford
to save or protect burglar or thief
for the reason that he happens to be
good looking. Our solons have stopped
the seining on the ocean shore to pro-
tect the decreasing fish, and have put
lot of poor devils of fishermen out of
commission, but have passed a law to
protect the worst enemies of the fish
industry.
These Need Protection
At the conclusion, / wish to make 2
suggestion about two species of birds
which urgently need special protection,
as they are almost exterminated-the