Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-06-12
OUR BIRDS AND THEIR PROTECTION.
HOW MAN DESTROYS THE BIRDS.
Gabrieson, Biology In Marshaltown
High

town, and count the numbers Of boys
they see carrying them. On one occas-
ion saw two small boys trying to
shoot male cardinal, and on another
day saw two others after a Baltimore
oriole. Both of these incidents took
place in the north side Of the ceme-
terry. This spring / have known of
fifteen nests which have been destroyed
in the cemetery by boy egg collectors.
Included in this list have been nests
of robins. blue jays. mourning doves.
orioles. rose-breasted grosbeaks. wood
thrushes, brown thrashers. red winged
blackbirds, and catbirds. The aggre-
gate destruction Of song birds from this
numbers annually.
Nationally the greatest single factor
in the destruction of our bird has
been the market hunter pursuing the
birds either for their feathers or for
their value as food. Naturally, this
makes every woman who wears bird
plumage, and every man who pays a
high price for our game birds for eat
ing, partner in the traffic which has
completely exterminated some Of our
birds and threatens many others. They
have created the demand which has
made it profitable for this class of mar
ket hunters to carry on their work.
and as long as some birds feathers are
worth their weight in gold just SO long
will people be found who will break
all laws to secure them. Most of the
market hunting Of today is carried on
in the south by negroes, Indians, and
degenerate whites who will not hest |
tate to murder warden who inter-
feres with them. The new federal
plumage law and the similar laws OF
the several states. forbidding the i'm
portation Of plumage. will go long
way towards stopping one part Of this |
market hunting
In addition we should stop absolutely |
the sale Of game in the big markets
either by national law or uniform
state laws. That it is high time for
legislation along this lire is shown by !
a few figures. Not many years ago
100000 skins of American birds were
sold from one London auction room In |
one four months period Many Of
these were skins Of such birds as the |
cardinal. scarlet tanager, bluebird. |
and others Of our best songsters. When |
most Of the states stopped the slaugh- |
ter OF our native birds for such pur-
poses We turned to other countries and
commenced to import foreign birds and |
to help exterminate them. This con-
tinued until within year. when 1t was |;
stopped by the new federal law That |
an effort to have this law repealed will |
be made is certain. and it behooves
every bird lover to do all in his power
to support 1t. Among our game birds
t,A n Ia io he
ner shipped during one season over
5000 mallards. and from, one small
town in Arkansas over 100000 were
shipped that season. These figures
could be duplicated many times If nee.
essary.
1t is to the activity Of hunters to !
supply these two markets that we owe
the determination Of the passenger pig |
con. the Eskimo curlew, and the Lab
rador duck. and the practical disap-
pearance of the Woodcock, wood duck,
Carolina parrot. golden .,plover. and a
score Of others. When the pigeons,
which. within the memory of men now
living, roamed in f1ocks of countless
millions over the whole of eastern /;
United States. were exterminated, the
market hunters turned their attention
to the curlews, sandppers snipe. and !
prairie chickens that swarmed on the
prairies OF Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, |
and the surrounding states. These
birds came north in the spring in great !
flocks. feeding on the various species
Of insects found there These birds
would now have an enormous value to
the farmers OF this region in keeping
down the loss from insect pests which
cause annually the loss Of many mil
lions of dollars. This destruction Of our
bird life has gone on to such an extent
that our present laws are inadequate to
protect them. and we are rapidly exter-
minating many OF them legally
This condition arises from the idea
that the game girds are the property
Of the sportsmen. and that they may do
as they like with them. On the contrary
these birds are the property of all the
people. and should be treated as our
other natural resources. There are is
sued annually in Iowa each year from
100000 to 100000 hunting licenses. This
is but small percent of the 2.225. 900
people of the state. every man. women.
and child of whom has an equal in
terest in all of our birds. There is no
objection to the shooting Of the sur
plus birds. and no one wishes to DENY
that privilege to those who are willing to
pay for it. but we should stop making
our Laws in the immediate interest of
the comparatively small number Of
sportsmen. and make and enforce then,
from the standpoint of the hest inter
ests of the birds and the people with a
view of conserving this valuable part
of the wild life of the state.
-
T. P. Marsh who has been on a fish