The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-04-06
New Law to Prevent Slaughter of Feath.
cred Species, Which Save the Nation
More Than $89OOO,OOO Year.

thority, and to some extent relieve the
States of the burden. OF course, there
is no question that the game OF a
State belongs to the citizens of each
State, and the general government has
no right to interfere with State laws
unless 1t has been clearly demonstrated
that the States cannot handle the mat
ter alone.
To Conserve Bird Life.
IL want to make it plain, however,
that, under the new law, we are author
lied to prescribe closed seasons through
out the United States. Having done that
We will not interfere with local laws Of
any State or Territory relating to birds
that breed or live permanently within
the borders of any particular state.
Everything within a State belongs to the
State, and birds resident therein should
be protected by the State law. As an
indication of cooperation, the New Jer-
sey Legislature has already adopted the
closed season which the Federal govern
ment expects to fix, and We confidently
believe that other States will do the
same.
THE idea is to conserve bird life. IN
less something is done at once, 1t Is
plain to me that our principal game and
insect birds. including the shore birds,
are In danger of absolute extinction.
Thousands of miles Of territory in the
United States, where myriads of ducks
and geese used to swarm. are to-day ut
terly barren of these birds. There are
thousands of square miles of territory
wherein ducks, geese, and wadlng birds
like the plover, snipe, and the curlew,
used to breed, now devoted to farming
operations, with the result that the birds
have been eliminated. In other words.
the birds breeding grounds have be-
come restricted, and this also has an
important bearing on our vanishing bird
life.
THE most glaring instance of bird ex-
termination is that of the passenger pig
con which used to swarm over the great
er part of the United States. Such count
less myriads, numerous observers have
stated, used to migrate from North 20
South and South to North. that the
great flocks would blot out the sunlight
for hours at time. To-day there is
enc passenger pigeon alive and that one
is in the Cincinnati Zoo. 1t is now about
twenty years old and I believe is the
only survivor Of these millions of birds
in the world to-day.
Fifty years ago many of our most
beautiful game birds. the dodo. the great
aux, the Labrador duck, Palla's cormo-
rant, the Eskimo curlew, and several Of
the parrot tribe Of the West Indies used
to swarm. To-day they are but fading
memory. Many birds formerly abundant
are now very rare, and II would not
be many years at the rate they Were
going before all would have disappeared
Tie wood duck is another bird that is
rapidly disappearing.
The same is true OF the egrets, the
beautiful little bird that furnishes the
aigrette for my lady's hair. These birds
would have been extinct long ago il
some steps had not been taken to pro-
tect them. The plumes of these birds
bring from $50 to $50 a piece, which is
great temptation for lawless men to
kill them. The plan usually adopted by
these aigrette hunters was particularly
atrocious. The plume is in best condition
shortly after the birth Of the young.
Hunters would lie in wait and kill the
parent bird while it was in search
of food for the young one. In this
way they not only killed the parent birds
hut left the poor little youngsters to
starve to death
Women, as rule, are very sympa-
thetic. Sometimes they inquire of the