The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1916-03-09

throated sparrows, ard Chat II can b
transmitted by the English sparrow
To poultry is ecrtain-another vail,
reason for the reduction Of this ua
tidy intrusive little foreigner.
Designated by the title. "natura
enemies" are those wild creatures
not introduced by man. which natur
ally prey more or less upon birds
Included among these are foxes, rae
coous, weaseIs, skunks, squirrels ans
rats, reptiles, shrikcs, jays, and Ger
tain owls and hawks The weasel ava,
bis tribe, including skunks and mink
are redoubtable enemies. The RED
squirrel is a persistent robbpr and ia.
veterate foe, devouring alike the egg
and nesting. No more friendly is the
blue jay which constitutes, no doubt
serious check upon the smaller
birds. Owls are destructive, bat the
vices are not unmiXed with virtues.
However, the Coopcr's hawk and mot
ably the sharp-shinncd hawk are
among the very wors; dcstroyors.
Both subsist chiefly upon poultry and
small birds Most of our hawks are
really useful, but the sins of those two
are visited upon all hawks without dis
elimination.
/ We now come to man, who has been
the birds mos. cruel, most relentless
foe-not man the savage, but civilized
man, with his implements Of surer and
broadcast destruction. His market
has enlisted the activities Of his less
civilized brother as well, with the re-
sui; of reducing many species of birds
nearly or quite to extinction. Man
has cleared the Mnd of forests, and
millions Of bird homes have gone down
before the axe His fires has devast-
ed woods containing young broodS.
and his lighthouses, telegraph wires,
and wire fences claim their victims in
unsupported numbers. This is, how
ever, unintentional destruction; and il
is doubtful if these causes, together
with destruction for the purpose OF
proper food supply, would result in
the total extinction of a species. Il is
-. kI,h &c pI1r
shame-the demand for plumage, The
reckless shooting for sport. With the
improvement in firearms, and with
these guns in the hands of thousands
of pot and market hunters, the ex.
tinction of certain kinds of birds be-
gan apace. The abundant fightless
great aux was completely wiped out.
The passenger pigeon, whose prodig-
icus cocks in migratory flight were SO
far-reaching that the earth was dark
ened as by an eclipse for the space Of
four or even five hours, were slaught-
cred hideously in their breeding
places, anu, NilllIli an IhNituiply IL"
years, not pigeon remained. With
the like swiftness, persisted the
Esquimau cErlew. The story of the
great white heron, the snow aigrette,
and the Laysan rail, is one of blacklist
igLmmiry Fort uuately, national and
international Jaws have been passed to
limit these unspeakable practices; ana
we ourselves must hasten the time
when traffic in wild bird plumage is
stopped finally and forever.
Let US close this cheerless account
with word concerning those enemies
for which man is chiefly responsible.
OF certainty, the most appalling is
the cat Highly carnivorous, she
possesses a body especially adapted
for capturing and killing creatures
weaker than herself; and song birds
are her favorite prey. Mr.. Chapman
is responsible for the estimate that no
less than 100000 birds are killed an
nually by New England cats alone.
The president of the Connecticut Au-
dobon Society warns us that if the |
people of the country insist on keep
ing cats in the same number as at |
present, all the fine work of federal
and state legislation, all the labor Of
game and song-bird protective associ-
atoms, all the loving care Of individu
ais in watching and feeding, will not
be able TO save our native birds in
many localities. The State Ornithol-
,gist of Massachusetts says, "If we
assume that the average cat on a
arm kills only ten birds a year, and
here is one cat for each farm IN Mas
we have in round numbers
10000 cats killing 100000 birds an
lually." What then of the United
States! Surely the cat is creature ;
o be reckoned with. s
Arguments for bird protection MAJ {
Re economic, moral, or aesthetic. OF S
hese, perhaps, the economic have {
most general weight and are least APP s
reciated. I
The farmer would be the birds most