Daily Kennebec journal., 1917-02-06
Tax Surplus Cats, Kill the
Crows, Protect Our Birds

II have a constituent who has pretty
effectually removed whatever doubt |
had, If any, as to the crow being an
unmitigated pest" said Representative
Joseph c. Harman of Stonington, and
he also advances novel and ingenious
method for their determination or at
least reduction in numbers. l recently
received a letter from him, suggesting
that I introduce a bill In the Legisla-
ture for the protection OF our small
birds and the farmers crops, In which
he said:
E" My idea Is to tax all surplus cats
in the State and use the proceeds for
bounty of 10 cents head on crows.
Exempt one cat in each household and
place graduated tax OF 50 cents on
the second cat, 81 on the third and 50
cents additional on each additional
cat which would give the wealthy old
maids a chance to keep their pets, If
they wanted to pay the price. find
there are considerably more than an
average of two cats to a family,
some keeping three, four and five
I" Again, my observations show that
the average cat destroys a large num-
Der of small birds every season.
have a good lnouser, but he also brings
in at least 50 small birds every season,
to say nothing of the young birds left
to starve IN the nests.
" so much for the cat-now for the
crow. He is a sleek, pretty bird, but
when you say that you have said 1T
all; for in my observations of 80 years
on the farm, I have yet to see single
instance where | thought he had done
, any good, while the counts in the in
dictments that could be brought
against him would number hundreds.
50 The only injurious insects l have
known them to hunt is the gun beetle
and its larva or the white grub; but
| they will leave q field swarming with
crickets and grasshoppers and fly to
the orchard and pick and spoil the big
gest red apple they can find. 1t is i'm
possible to get stand of corn in the
spring, unless the seed is thoroughly
tarred or poisoned or the field criss-
crossed with string. the latter a great
nuisance in cultivating. They also pull
tho peas and the potatoes and last sea-
son great many beans and other
| plants they would not eat were de-
| Stroyed
e" The amount Of clans destroyed
| by crows along the coast of Maine Is
astonishing, a Every time q little piece
of flats is turned over, anywhere from
kittery to ST. CroiX. and the small
clans left on top. they are gobbled up
by the crows before they have had time
to re-establish themselves in the mud.
| Then thes destruction by young
birds and their eggs Is something little
understood by most people. We often
see crows in the fields and many think
they are after bugs, when they really
are after the ground sparrows' nests,
! the contents of which they soon de-
stroy (either eggs or young birds>.
while the mother bird fits around.
helpless and uttering its piteous cries,
Robbins will often build a dwelling
house as protection against crows,
but even then have seen crows rob-
bing their nests within 50 feet of nv
own home.
Another good proof of who is the
real robber bird. watch the kingbird
You don't see him chasing away the
pigeon. partridge, or yellowhammer-
but let crow come near their nests.
and Mr. Kinsbird will immediately
give him fits.
! 50 say, as we can spare a few
OF the cats unless their owners wich 10
pay the price, let us tax the surnlus
and devote the proceeds to a bounty
for crows and be rid of the pest. if II
is possible "