Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-11-07
CATS Or BIRDS.

The people must choose between cats
and the native birds: they can not have
both; the cat is the greatest OF all
destroyers OF bird life; 1t Is of little
use: hence it should go. -
The question whether or not we are
to have the native birds once more
about our homes depends very largely
upon our willingness and readiness to
get rid OF that unintellsent, fcrocious.
md for the most part, worthless crea-
ture, the common house cat.
Kindness to animals is more, often
perverted In the case of cats than of
any other animal species. The cat is
worthless as a companion. not having
sense enough to do anything In return
for kindness bestowed upon 1t; 1t Is
known to be sprcader of diseases; It
does comparatively little good as u
mouse destroyer; and 1t inflicts one
of the greatest losses ON man by It's
wholesale destruction of nesting birds
other than house sparrows.
DR.. Paul of the State University in.
forms us that only u few weeks ago,
ut Kaysville, he witnessed the house
cats destruction of white-crowncd spar
rows-our most beautiful species and
splendid singers-while these fine birds,
fully grown but mostly young, were
migrating In hocks from tho noun
tains to the valleys preparatory to
moving southwark. English sparrows,
he says. were In abundance, eating up
the grain; but the cats paid little or no
attention 10 them. The white crowns,
singing beautifully, and fitting about
gathering weed seeds, were singled out
by the cats and pounced upon before
they could get from among the weeds.
Our very efforts In cnticlng the ma
tive birds to come about our homes and
to build in our gardens and strawberries,
are too frequently responsible for the
loss of great numbers OF bird lives
Birds como into life with an instinc-
tive fear Of man, yet this feeling OF
dread may be overcome by kind treat
ment. So we coax the birds into II
sense OF security until they feel safe
In making their homes near us; and
then what happens? Why, in possibly
nine out Of every ten such cases. we
allow the house cat to roam at will
over our properties, destroying every
young bird that attempts its first flight
from the nest, and often capturing the
parent birds which seek to defend their
young.
We have no objection to cats as pets
properly cared for and controlled; but,
as Prof. Hodge Of Clark University
puts 1t, I'VE must face this problem
squarely. We may start our twenty
million children to protecting and car
ing 70: the birds. yet under present
conditions all this effort will mean: "A
little more cat feed People every
where are asking, Why do we not
have moro birds?' or: How can We
have more BIRDS? Forbush followed
a cat for a single day and actually saw
her break up six birds nests. killing
all the young and two OF the parent
BIRDS
Hodge explains that the beginning
OF game protection lies in the exter-
mlnation OF vermin. Obeying this rule,
when he began to raise quail on his
place, every rat was killed. every
skunk. every crow was shot at, and,
with due warning to all concerned, no
cat was permitted to leave the place
alive. Not II bird could have been reared
he declares, had not these precautions
been taken; and the one and only
eremy that has caused great loss ind
intolerable misery throughout the whole
work has been the uncontrolled cat"
Following is the story of how he sue
ceeded with the first setting Of l6 eggs
in wire-covcred yard 40 feet square:
.Al; goes well for the first two weeks;
then the dog obtained to keep the
cats away, deserts to II former home.
-Four times during the last ten days,
the bobwhite is frightened off his nest
by cats climbing about over the wires.
Each time, the eggs arc quickly tanens
from the nest and placed under a bun
tam hen kept brooding for the express
PURPOSE. Plaster OF Paris eggs are rvt