Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1918-01-23
WARNS OF PERILS
OF BIRD SLAUGHTER
National Association Of AudHbon So
cieties Issues a Statement

indiscrIHlnate slaughter oE>blrds and
Of wild life, according TO a statement
issued by the directors of the National
Association 81 Audubon Societies OF
No. 1875 Broadway, New York City.
Mr. 7. Gilbert Pearson, the Secre-
tary OF the Association, in making
public resolutions adopted By the
Board Of Directors, said that unless
every effort is made to enforce ali
game protection laws, the resulting
unrestrained activities Of. gunners and
Dot-hunters would 500 destroy the
natural foes Of insects and OF rodent
pests and of weeds.
The crops viii save the nation, =
says the official statement. "and the
birds will help 10 save the crops. Z"
In this national crisis, America is
looked upor~ by our Allies as the
granaFy Of the world and the source
Of food which must sustain the fight
ers in the months OF struggle yet to
come. Therefore. every effort should
be made to increase the yield Of our
fields.
This Association points to the
grave peril which attends the relax
ing OF the wise statutes enacted for
covering the wild-life of this coun-
try, which is more and more recognlz-
ed as an important economic factor
There is no more insidious peril
than that which results from the loos-
ening of all restraint upon those who
would kill game birds out OF the law
ful season on the pretext that such
are needed for food Game as a mat
ter Of fact, is eaten mostly by the
patrons OF expensive restaurants and
hotels When the hotel proprietors
90 to Washington and put themselves
on record as favoring the letting down
of all barriers, they are opening the
way for the determination of the wild
birds and beasts of the American con-
tinent Such reckless disregard OF
the ordinary allowance for the future
is bound to react disasrously upon
the entire nation.
we are especially concerned over
the effort being made in such States
as Massachusetts and New Jersey.
where every subterfuge IS being
adopted by market gunners to neu-
traAze the laws and to destroy the
millions OF birds whose uses are so
great at this period ia our agricul-
ture.
1T was only recently that prom
inent financier made a large condi-
toned gift to this Association, for
the purpose of educating the young,
in the value OF birls in the conserva-
ton of our food supplies. Food is
truly ammunition as much as powder
and shell, and we believe that the
thoughtful citizens OF the United
States will uphold us in this cam
paign to stay the destruction of the
creatures which have done so much
toward increasing the output OF the
soil.
THE deplorable feature Of the re-
taxing of game laws is that once they
are suspended large class of the
population will interpret this action
as the granting Of unlimited license
TO ruthlessly destroy every bird with
in reach
THE thoughtless and irresponsible
would kill the robins, and thus destroy
the natural enemies OF the grasshop-
pers, beetles. and caterpillars; they
would exterminate the woodpeckers,
and thus execute those traditional
watchmen Of our fruit and forest trees
which destroy the larvae Of the Gypsy
moth; they would do away with the
chickadees, which annually eat my
riads of bugs, eanker worms, moths
and plant lice AS a reward for it's
service to mankind, they would slay
the orchard oriol, the bulk of the food
Of which consists Of cabbage worms,
grasghoppers, and the larvae OF all
kinds of noxious invaders Of garden
and farm
1T is q iamentable fact that despite
the watchfulness Of wardens, many
thousands of useful birds, not regard
ed as edible under the laws, are shot
to satisfy the appetities Of q selfish
and unthinlzing part OF our popula-
ton.
"This Association therefore urges
that there be enacted without further
delay the enabling act which viii
carry out the provisions of the Fed
eral Migratory Bird Treaty The bill
providing for such action has already
passed the Senate Of the United
States. and was to have been consid-
cred By the House Of Representatives
at the last session. The adoption Of
this measure would especially pro
tect those birds whose economic uses
in agriculture have been so well
demonstrated. It's enactment viii
bring about a greater cooperation
among the various States, and thus
tend TO insure the greater safety Of
these useful birds in passing from the
borders Of one commonwealth to
another.
1T also requests that all friends Of
the wild birds and animals in this
country, bring the pressure Of pub
tic sentiments upon the law makers OF
the various States. It recommends too
that they give all help and co-opera-
ton to organizations which are en-
deayoring to preserve those aids to
our agriculture whose services are
recognized by farmers throughout the
world. The onslaught of insect
eating and weed-seed destroying birds
viii so lessen their number that there
will scarcely be enough left for breed
ing purposes. The stock viii weaken
and IN many cases eventually disap-
pear. unless measures are taken to
end Tie s,rrt-eirlatar. r1racfices flnx- in