The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1909-05-05
SPARE The BIRDS!
What the Audubon S0Cie-
ties are Doing.
MISSDlCKINSON. .SSTIRRINGPlEA.
A General Movement for the Preven-
tiOn of Bird Slaughter-WOmen
Pledge Themselves Never
Again to Wear Bird
PIumage.


Again to Wear Bird
Plumage.
At the time of year when the birds
are coming back to their northern
nesting home-and the time also
when so large a number of Scranton
dwellers are preparing to depart for
their Summer homes in all the re-
gion round about us through which
the Lackawanna railroad and the
Northern Electric gives easy access
for the suburban dweller and the
vacation seeker-it is eminently
timely to call attention to the pres
ent day efforts of the Audubon So
cieties for the protection of the birds
and the education of the American
public to that end.
What they are doing, and what
they are telling land owners of all
kinds in rural and semi-urban dis
tricts, concerns city dwellers also;
particularly in every community
that has any aspirations whatever
towards becoming "a city beauti-
full"
Before quoting from the 1909 cir
cular of the New York Audubon So
ciety, which is apparently the most
wideawake one of them all, let me
first call attention to the New York
Independents record of the fact that
in France the protection of birds
has, happily, passed over into the
hands of women; that they are
forming organizations all through
the rural districts; that every club
woman pledges herself never to
wear bird plumage; but, on the con-
trary, to provide food and shelter
and drink for the birds; and in every
way to count winged friends as
members of her family.
The New York Independent COM
ments: woman heretofore has been
the chief enemy of the birds, and it
stands to reason that she should now
make compensation, as their efficient
friend. The women of America
will do we'll to initiate the women of
France and take bird protection into
their special care"
The New York Audubon society
makes it known that it has initiated
measures to establish an interna-
tional agreement that will suppress
the trade in bird feathers throughout
civilized countries-preventi the
passage through custom houses of
the plumage of beneficent wild birds.
II ic ticfo nj eto
has withdrawn the protection of law
from the slaughterers of the egret
or heron of the South who used to
kill them off in the breeding season
to procure their snowy breast plum
age (worn by them only them, while
the young birds were left in the
nests to perish.
The New York society proposes
also to begin this season a general
movement for the better care of the
migrating song birds coming north
to raise their families. Their cir
culars suggest the planting of vibur-
NUNS, dogwood, mulberry bushes,
woodbine, mountain ash, and such
other bushes and vines and trees
as supply the most food for the bird
we desire to encourage. They urge
that this work shall be taken up
Systematically by owners of homes
and of land throughout all the birds
summer country. Nesting boxes"
they say, SHOULD be put up for
wrens and warblers; cotton waste
and similar material supplied for
orioles nests. Swallows, because
they destroy moths and mosquitoes,
should particularly be encouraged by
leaving for their use heaps of mois-
tened clay. Martins and thrushes
as they do the hollows of trees"-
which last are by no means abundant
in this ear of forest, farm woodland,
and homestead grove destruction.
Returning to the New York Inde-
pendent's comments on the Audubon
society's circular it points to the fact
that while everybody is busily prais-
ing Luther Burbank for his evolu-
tion of a few variations of plants and
flowers, the birds have been doing
such work on an immeasurably
greater scale throughout genera
tions. AS it says, 1T is certain
that very large part of the evolu-
tion of useful berries and fruits and
edible vegetation as we'll as beauti-
full trees has been brought about by
birds carrying the pollenized seeds
and planting them about the hillsides
and Valleys" and "along the fence
corners in fields and by the road
side"
Furthermore, the authorities on
bird life call to mind that it is not
simply the same species of birds,
but the same families and individu-
ais which return each Spring to the
homesteads and trees where they
have aforetime found welcome and
protection.
Again: it is strictly correct, as
urged, that the birds returning each
spring-time form the chief protection
of the farmers crops, and of all the
trees, against every kind of insect
devourer and destroyer. "They con-
stitute an invaluable asset in the
private affairs of every land owner,
L.