The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1909-11-21

creature In feathers that can hold his
own against humanity. He remains as
numerous as ever. and by his generalship.
intelligence. and wisdom. defeats mankind
armed with guns. traps. and poison"
Are there birds that do more harm
than good
Il don't know OF any. Each kind OF
bird was created for some purpose. Il
IS not for me TO say that nature has
been careless or has Numbered. A man
who raises trout for market complained
to me that a pair or blue herOns hunted
IN his brook. eating the fry and yearlings.
He wasn't philosopher enough 20 get the
herons' point of view. Obviously, 1t was
easier 10 wade into the brook for break
fast. where trout was plenty, than 20
search in muddy streams for an occa-
sional sucker. bullhead. or frog. OF hunt
the woods for small snakes The herons,
like the man himself. were getting their
! living in the best way open 10 them. Stiu,
they mad developed an appetite for com
mercial trout. and ought to have been
shot.
Not All Hawks Bad.
Another man accused two hawks Of
daily attacks on his poultry He con-
demned the whole hawk family. All
/ hawks. ne said. should DO put TO death.
] If a rowdy were to run amuck I'm VII
! lage, shooting and killing. no man would
| charge the crime OF a single Individual
to the entire community and call for ven
geance. A bad man doesn't make the
/ human race altogether wicked. Nor does
a chicken-eating hawk make all hawkdom
| reprehensible and destructive
THE goshawk, the Cooper hawk. and
/ the sharp-shinned hawk eat other birds
| on the face of things. being caunibals
/ they are deEenerates. But who can read
| the riddles OF nature? Cannbahstic hawks
may have been provided 10 prevent q
! dangerous oversupply OF some particular
! species of birds. Nature did not see thai
men, women. and boys would go into
partnership with the hawks: otherwise
the hawks might have been vegetarians.'
What birds have become extinct?''
| THE Labrador duck that once Swarmet
the Northeast coast. is seen no more
His disappearance is an unexplained phe
nomenOn. Wild pigeons. that were mum
| bered by the million. were destroyed by
shot and powder. The last tern is OF
its last legs, l might say. The Eskim,
curlew IS supposed to be extinct. Tn,
wOOdcock and wOOdduck were approach
! ing determination. but laws have beer
passed I'm many States for their preserva
ton. Years ago our society began I,
urge the creation Of bird reservations
Nothing in that direction was done unit
after Mr.. Roosevelt became President
| First. he set aside Pelican Island. fl
Florida, as a bird refuge. Since theI
about fifty other reservations have beer
established, extending from Maine south
ward to the Gulf OF Mexico and north
ward from California to Alaska Som,
OF the reservations are 100 miles long
No man dared to enter any Of the reserv
ations with trap or gun.
Want More Reservations.
But we want 70 see villagers and farm
| ers maintaining reservations on thei
own land" Mr.. butcher went on to say
Houses should be put up beyond tn
reach Of dogs and cats. and the birds
understanding the invitation. will imme
diately and gladly come. And they VIII
no alone I'll the air with music an,
delight the eye Of beauty. but they vii
more than support themselves by har,
and honest work. Many years ago Baroi
Won Beriipsch let the birds know the,
would be welcome on his great estate Ii
Germany. The test has been a remark
able commercial success. The birds hav
increased the baron's crops very mate
rally, and have kept his forests ire
from injurious insects"
Have you anything TO say in defens
of the English sparrow"
mo. II the Creator had wanted then
in this part OF the world He would hav
put them here. Instead. they wer
; brought to the United states by man