New-York tribune., 1910-08-21
BlRD TRAGEDIES
Hoo Homeless Cats Prey on
the Fcafhcrcd Tribes.

IN 81 PauTs chIFchyaF1' Nie.s Al. sesns
rc.t a7f pcacefulncSs to burr i.s human
f+,- a. II -urges past. where tie Office ga
fr1t~ An hours quiet at morn ufHe IN tsss
.--,,1o nj a real bush ard wHe-e tHe sen.
,t--c-,ea1i.t f,roods on the spirit Of tie Dt..
,r,are is 10 s-ch thing a. peace los tas
ro.,e- creation. Behind rs "ea;heEed toms
.o,,es f-7c ysGrant catE can caevf eacs
ot,er,. ears vithout interruption o. ma
hin pedestrians in its dusty synnza
bushes there Is fighting space FOR huncreds
of iIf bred sparrows. and over scattsrss
hits Of cake and fruit left by the tincheon
rarfiee at noon bees and hles and ANS
can struggle for existence as heartily as
in the primeval tosest.
f-non all this the DlilOsD51er muses.
life and Struggle even above the bonss u
the dead" However few OF the Lroadwzy
passersby arc philosophers, and most
other peooIe are hardened 20 the qgarrefs
OF cats and English sparrows But wae1i
one sees d real bird-one o. the k.aa
horn TO be loved. robin o. "A thrush
innocent OF New Yo.k WAYS. IIred ina
seeming safety only 70 be pIeyeJ upon o.
,he CITY cats. there comes an end TO philo-
sophie calm Yet these tragedies are Of
freouent occurrence in this seeming abode
Of peace
3. Bow disa. Of the Audubon Society.
Who has been keeping watch over the
birds in St PauTs for several years. ssys
II have seen more than forty species o.
or most interesting birds just BY stepping
in occasionally at noon or early in the
morning. Birds flying over this desert OF
civilization naturally pick out the few
ereer places and stop there 70 rest and
teed. The elevated and the roar OF Broad
uay seem to have no terror for Them ana
thew nestle trusting in the bushes ana
trees set providentialiy for them Ike an
oasis in the midst Of the skyscraDers
have seen not only the common song birds
1bers hut some which II is rare to f1e
even IN the couutry-foT instance. the yel
foy-- -beiIfed sap-sucker, q bird which have
very seldom found anywhere else Thsn
there Rave been several kinds of thrushes-
the wood thrush. Wilson's thrush and even
the rare and tintd hermit thrush
II saw cat kill a hermit thrush oncs
right Their. in St PauPs- The bird hzd
! ro7vn a against one of the windows Of the
school IN the churchyard and had falIsn
stunned Before I could get to 1t 10 picS
it I'D q cat dashed across the gravestones
I
but / was no match for a downtown cat.
'.Oh. yes. that kind of thing IS common
though. of course, 1t seemed worse IN that
case because the hermit thrush Is such
, y. dear bird Those cats have 70 get tnsir
living mostly on birds. | suppose almost
arv tfn1a YOU can find little Pile o.
feathers in the churchyard, which means
another bird caught hy = cat Ihey US
the tomb5tonss TO hide behind and SO creep
I'm and spring on their prey u1aTarsS-
cincinnati had a similar problem ana
has solved il hr means OF 4 wire nsJlias'
r,erhaps in tho course Of time some pniiaH-
thropist may donate enough wire % eA-
circle st Paurs and keep ont maraudiHs
cats.
The bird lover in Central Park, now
ever. shakes his head bopelessly AZ "
wire netting proposition. II does seem e9s
of the question. But the Var Of cats ani
birds IS equally strenuous uptown and >
carried on on much larger scale as
abound even In the most sylvan retreats,
although there is q warden whose sole dry
il is 10 shoot vfI-rninded eats and dogs
Central Park, says H1r- Frank N Chsp.
mar. would be 2 fine place for birds :
II H-erc uor for the cats.
The city loves its squirrels, but it, bira5
must shift for themselves. IT seems. II
looks As if the bird lovers would have %
start a society 10 be known - the s. ?.
y. !. : E.-Society for the Protection Il
New York Song Bfrds-tl7e aim ee
aSe of law requiring the licen-ins OF cats.