The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1916-10-20
FIN 70 WIPE OUT
| ENGLISH SPARROW
.,d,,p of American Sports
'' meu Urges Nationwide
Campaign to Save
Songbirds.

The League VI
u, whose object is the preservation
' ';,a life, is considering the ques-
Nn nf inaugurating a nationwide
on u for the destruction of the
sn 9;sb snarrow. Its officers say
lsli bird has made such Roadway
. y. it is driving out the smaller
'le e s anS insectivorous birds, and that
t,g aI become a question of whether
h Ali have only the English spar
' +o represent our bird life or de-
W.. " i All and regain some so species
t@ Y.o ~ and beautiful birds that
y Wv ~ inhabit cities, farms and coun-
ssid Il all over the land.
Tsa league intends to ask the Gov
ln' If each state to issue a procla-
E Isnn " declaring war on the English
. .,uN and setting aside a week,
El ssfGy in April or May of next year,
i 10 devoted especially to destroying
w. If this pernicious pest. Printed
s. ~ as to the plan of the
.mnaign will be sent to the Mayors
s nFI Incorporated cities and villages,
t .sa heads of the school systems in
s,- wv county, to college Presidents, to
bir WV of preparatory schools, to
y heads of the Boy Scouts in each
Es+a and to other organizations
Esir6 , might be expected to extend
rmpathy and aid.
Four Four principal methods of action
n T he employed: Tearing down the
'st,, trapping the birds, shooting
s sn' under police supervision and I'M
~ licenses issued by the police au-
anrities. and, in cities where water
assure is available, turning the hose
\ the birds at night after they have
vne to roOst.
The President of the league, Col.
Q, Shields, of ITO Simpson Street,
/ Nav York, says he would like to hear
Fam persons interested in the matter,
|Mth those who favor the plan and
bose opposed.
He makes the statement that in the
s,e of the hundreds of thousands of
| fJ boxes placed in this country in
/ he last 10 years, fully rs per cent.
sve been appropriated by English
|garrows. In cases where bluebirds,
Mems or other birds that are desired
In those who put up the boxes have
|nken possession of boxes, the SPAR
|vvs have driven them out, thrown
|heir eggs or young to the ground,
|gd taken possession themselves.
d have travelled nearly 1000 miles
Mis- Summer" says Col. Shields, have
visited more than so towns in the Mid
lie West and in the East, have walked
more than 100 miles, and though |
always look carefully for birds, have
hot seen a single bluebird this season.
THE bluebird is, perhaps, the most
modest and most inoffensive of all our
native songsters, and so it has retired
more generally before the onslaughts
|f the British intruder than any other
ii our native birds, though all have
een driven out to greater or less
|Etent.
q recently sent out 80 letters, in
|toSing Self-addressed post cards, ask
|kg my correspondents whether they
lave seen any bluebirds, and, if so,
|Dv many. The cards have all been
lNturned, and only six of the people
Pave seen a single bluebird. Some
II them report about the usual num-
Der, but the experience and observa-
|1'n Of the others agree with my
m. These "a persons say they
lave not seen a single blue-bird.
There are several important pre-
adentS for our proposed action
|igainst the sparrows. San Diego,
.aIg started a war of determination
|iganSt them a year ago. 1t has been
|Tgorously conducted, on about the
|ame lines as we propose, and as a
result most Of the sparrows in that
|5ty have been killed and the others
|!ryen out. The California State
University has cleaned its campus of
|4em, and Meriden, Conn, has clear
\ most Of them out. The Califor-
ia State Game and Fish Commission
aS maugurated a Statewide war
'ganSt the intruders.
If one city the size of San Diego
|an Kill the sparrows and drive them
.lI every town and city in the land
an 90 it, and we believe that at least
|" per cent. of the people in this coun-
" will approve a war Of extermina-
.o1 against this condemned nuisance,
S that they will join heartily in it.
wy We must know first whether we
ae gong to offend any considerable
,.3 of good people by such cru
r Sae, before we begun it."-New York
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