Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1917-01-25

Is the belief that now exists, and 1t
Is necessary therefore, that quick
move be made to preserve what is left
Of the once plentiful supply. /
The birds stand first and foremost !
for immediate protection. or these,
the pinnated grouse, and the sage
grouse (sagehen), are the most tmpor-
tant candidates for preservation.
First, however, let me tell you some /
thing of the fate Of the passenger pi- |
geon. This bird is now totally extinct.
A few skins and skeletons and stuffed
specimens are all that remain Of the
once unaccountable millions that once
swarmed over the United States. These
went down by systematic
slaughter for the market and the pot.
before the shotguns, clubs and nets OF
the early pot-hunters. Wherever they
nested they were slaughtered. The
story Of their extinction Is shameful
one.
Practically the same is true OF the
heath hen. Today the species remains
in only one locality of the United
States, in number only 500. New York.
Rev Jersey and Massachusetts, began
to protect species too late. They gave
closed seasons for Ave years, increas-
ing it to ten. but without avail, for the
to protect them was estab-
lished entirely too late.
OTHERS TO FOLLOW.
In view of the fate Of these two
game birds, and particularly the pas
senger pigeon, we have no alternative
except to regard the sagehen and the
pinnated grouse as absolutely certain
to become extinct within a short pc
riod of years unless the conditions sur
rounding them are Immediately and
radically changed for the better. My
own inquiries among the sportsmen,
gunners and game hogs of my own
state clearly show that they will do all
they can to keep the seasons open. II
the present open seasons and bag lin
its prevail in the state, no power on
earth can save them. They exist now
only in small localities, where they
appear to be plentiful, and venture to
say that nineteen twentieths of their
original range are entirely and forever
destitute of them.
The sagehen will be the first to 60.
1T is the largest and mos conspic-
the biggest mark for the gunner. Those
who have seen 1t in It's native sage
brush well know how fatally it is ex-
posed to slaughter" Other factors aid
materially in it's destruction. The
sagehen nests in country where sheep
range. Many time / have passed
over country where sheep ran, and
found u nest of unmatched eggs Of the
sagehen trampled out by sheep. Young
birds, as well, are easy prey for the
coyote and the hawk. Undoubtedly,
from these facts, the sagehen is doomed
to become extinct.
KILLERS HAVE OWN WAY.
Still. the gunners in the states where
these birds now exist are determined
to have them all. And the state legis-
latures-yes, and even the governors
(who veto the bills proposed to pro-
tect them), are disposed to allow the
killers to have their own way.
What will the result be? Simply the
fact that in time we will become aware
of the shortage-and another case of
locking the barn door after the horse
is stolen.
The burden Of protecting the birds
fall upon a few. The lack of enthus-
iasm in this great movement is the
hardest thing with which one has to
deal. 1t Is hard TO make men realize
what they owe the fGsdre generations.
1t Is amazing how selfish the present
generation is in regard to the game.
The people have labored under the de-
fusion that the game belongs to the man
who goes after 1t. This Is entirely
wrong. Each and every man, woman
and child has vaster right in every
game bird, in the country In which he
lives We owe the protection of wild
game to the future generation. We
have had our day of plenty and We
must insure a day of plenty to our pos
terity We are capable of q sacrifice
to see that they get it too. 1t is there
fore, UP to our people to get behind this
movement. and not give up. until they
have conquered. Persistence, that Is
all that is needed, and the right kind
of legislators.
An association to further the move
ment is needed in every locality. The
object Of such an associ; .tion should be
to preserve the birds and animals that
! may need immediate protection. The
and the protection itself should not
make any more concession as to the
| time of the closed season. From five
| to 10 years protection is needed, al
once II we are to have the sage hen
| much longer. Get busy!
| AGAINST USE OF AUTOMOBILE.
Let us also introduce a bill to rro-
! hibit the use of the automatic and
pump gun and IL possible, prohibit the
use of automobile in the hunting oil
sage hen and grouse.
This may sound unreasonable. Per-
haps 1t is a sacrifice to many shooters
and game hogs, but to destroy anything
permanently one must go to the root
of the evil to prevent the whole. The
automatic and pump gun and the
automobile stand out first and foremost
as being the most potent factors in the
| destruction of our wild life, and 1t Is
| this source of destruction that we mus,