Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-06-26
BIRD KILLERS TRICK.
A Paipabie Attempt to Make Bird
Slaughter a National Law.

Miss Mabel 5. Daveis of Portland,
Maine, member of the Audubon So
ciety. has written the following letter
to the press and we offer il to our
readers, hoping that some of them will
promptly respond To the appeal for the
life of our bird friends:
"A telegram just received from DR..
Hornaday, director of the New York
Geological association. states that the
provisions in the new tariff bill for
the protection of wild birds, which has
successfully passed the House of
Representatives and is now on its pas
sage through the Senate, is in great
danSer of being amended in a way TO
defeat its object. This amendment
which has been introduced by Senator
Clapp of Minnesota, is being pushed
by certain commercial interests of the
country which for many years have
accumulated wealth by putting a pre-
mum on the destruction of the valu-
able wild-bird life of the world.
The Ciapp amendment is nnoeently
worded SO that its evil purport is not
easily detected. 1t aims a deadly
though hidden blow, at the existence of
hundreds of thousands of our beautiful
song brds-and this slaughter will
take place at the season when the
birds are nesting and caring for their
young, for it Is at this season that
their feathers wear their brightest
hues.
al niE ...fyt
ilickers. hooking birds. thrushes wood
peckers, egrets-these and many other
beautiful birds-invaluable as consum-
ers of injurious insects, will be found
by the adroit wording of the amend
ment. to be on the death list.
Mr.. Hornaday says that the letters
recently sent from our State to the
House of Representatives, asking for
bird protection. bore quick fruit He
now telegraphs an appeal to Maine
people to write or telegraph at once 10
Hon. Charles f. Johnson. Washington,
d. C.,fto vote against any amendment
to the feather proviso in Schedule
IN" and to give his support to this
provision in the exact form in which
it was passed by the House of Repre-
sentatives.
mabel S Daveis.
We have recently published an ex-
PLANTATION of the situation and the
meaning Of the undetermined attempt,
but for those who may not have read
it, or have not awalkent TO the ur-
gency of the demand. we reprint por-
lions of the Audubon Society circular
of information:
The tariff bill recently passed by the
lower House of Congress contains
proviso which prohibits the importa-
ton of feathers of wild birds for COM
mercal purposes. admitting only the
feathers or plumes of ostriches and
domestic fowls. The bin is now be-
ing considered by the Senate finance
committee, and enormous pressure Is
being brought to bear on the members
of the committee by millinery interests
of the country in an effort to strike
out this proviso, or at least to amend
it in such way as to destroy its use
fulness.
Senator Clapp, of Minnesota. has in
PRODUCED an amendment which reads
as follows:
ON page 50. line -. strike out
the period. and insert the follow
ing: or to the feathers or plumes
of game birds usually killed for
food purposes and birds which are
killed as pests
While, at a casual glance this may
appear to be a perfectly fair provi-
sion. it, nevertheless. is an exceedingly
dangerous one. and if adopted. would
most certainly prove to be absolutely
disastrous to the effectiveness of the
anti-importation proviso in Schedule
IN" This fact is we'll known to GER
tain commercial interests of the coun-
try, who have. for many years. been
accommodating wealth by putting pre-
MUM on the destruction of the valu-
able wild bird life of the world AID
they are giving this proposed amend
ment their most frantic support What
does this amendment really mean?
First, it would permit the importa-
ton of the feathers of birds usually
killed for food"
i
legally regarded as game birds In the
various States of our country, we find
that it includes all species and Varle-
ties of snipe, sandpipers. ploFers'
oystercatchers, grebes, looms, DUCKS
geese, brant. swan, rails, coots, gail
mules. quail grouse, wild turkeys
doves. pigeons, robins and bobolinks'
also the chewink. meadow lark, and,
in Ohio, a court decision has declared
herons to be game birds. Note, how
ever that the provision of this amend
ment does not refer to birds legally re-
garded as game birds. but refers 10
birds usually killed for food pur-
poses" This being the case, we Will
have to add to the above list the night
hawk, roseate spoonbill. limpkin, SAINT
hill crane. cormorant, white ipis'
pileated woodpecker. flicker, ana oth-
ers The above catalogue contains
the names of number of me
most valuable forms of wild pifd
life in the United States, 1or
many of them are among ,he
uUak