The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1909-01-30
TO STOP SLAUGHTER
CONTENTS OF NATIONS GAME
BAG TO BE COUNTED.
Members OF Audubon Society and
Sportsmen Plan to Place Check
on Those Who Hunt for
the Market.

! New lork.-lO measure the con-
! tents of Uncle Sans game bag dur
! ing the new year Is the object OF a
concerted effort in which sportsmen
| from every section of the country are
Joining the National Association of
| Audubon Societies in this city. 1t is
! proposed to obtain detailed records of
| each days shoot from every sportsman
! in states where the Audubon and
| sporting interests will urge the cry
( ing need Of legislation to this effect
Unless the annual inroads upon the
rapidly decreasing game Of America
are thus determined the leaders of
! the new movement declare shooting as
healthy recreation will soon be
killed in almost every region of the
continent
That the health, crops and woods,
as well as the sport, of many extern
siye localities are o.day seriously men
aced by the extinction Of game birds
will be demonstrated by the latest re-
suits of the scientific Investigations Of
government authorities at Washington.
Water fowl and shore birds viii be
shown in their natural capacity of des.
trOying the anopheles mosquito as well
as many other recognized distributors
of deadly germs.
Gulls and many other varieties Of
sea and inland water birds will be
proven by ornithOlogical experts to be
wholesale destroyers of grasshoppers
and a multitude OF the insects which
cause an annual crop and forest loss
Of nearly $1,000 COS 600. or more than
the entire national debt. The case Of
Salt Lake City. whose people have
erected a monument to the gulls that
saved all their crops from destruction
by an insect plague, will also be cited
In every one Of the AZ state legisla
lures which are beginning 10 convene
for The new year special efforts to OBJ.
tain legal provision for this game cen.
sus are being planned among organ
lied sportsmen and Audubon workers
Where a hunters license law is ini
fore the addition Of law to enforce |
the recording OF all game birds and
animals shot will be urged II Is pro |
posed, in order to protect the true
sportsmen and 10 detect market hunt |
ers, to punish failure by proceeding as
against perjury. Special blanks for the !
purpose are being prepared as an at.
tachment 10 al hunters license cards. |
When the purpose and necessity of
this widespread checking up of The ma. |
tons game bag is realized by the peo |
pie at large, the labor Of compiling the
records Of the individual prowess oil
millions Of hunters will be begun. In i
this gigantic task the officers Of the
National Association of Audubon So
cieties have been promised the hearty
assistance OF the director Of the ma.
iional conservation commission a co
ordinate branch Of which their organi |
cation has becorso by the special inyi !,
tatior of the authorities at Washing
ton.
This conservation movement they
will forward as one OF their principal
activities for the bew year, together
with their regular work Of education.
bird care on reservations and legisla.
tive campaigning for general bird pro
lection.
The conservation Of the diving races
Of the game birds and animals Of this
continent IS an object FOR which We
are finding every true sportsman ready
and eager to cooperate with us. said.
William butcher, president Of the Ma
uunal Association Of Audubon Socie
ties. The proposed census IS the
only sure way of determining the OK
tent ~ the existing commercial bird
b-~'hery and the means 10 check 1t.
Though We shall. q course. have 10
fight the organized and financially pow
piful market hunters az every step. u
feel sure the support ~ the sportsmen
viii help ms greatly and that we may
roly on tho aid of every patriotic Amer
lean as well The whole public debt
ri This nation has just been reported
ls S'a7.s44.7sl With a known annual
loss 81 many millions more than this
due 10 The growing threads of the In
soctz which cur game birds destroy.
DO not think Americans can ignore this
suhioct much longer"