Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-07-09
CRUSADE AGAINST
CATS At LARGE
Claim Made That They Are Kill
ing the Birds That Would
Protect the Crops.

A crusade that ia countrywide has been
inauguratcd against cats running at large
on the ground that they are the greatest
menace in the country to bird life, which
is protection to crops. man who has
made study of the matter contributed the
following:
IL was about 20 years ago that the work
OF mosquito determination was first serl-
ously undertaken in this country IA "A
community OF State activity. At that
time it WAS hailed with derision. Tho
public soon became educated to under
stand that the mosquito, even the Della
ware mosquito, WIS not a joke, but q
most dangerous carrier OF disease, ana
then the work to destroy tins peat was
WAS taken seriously and put on a syste-
matte basis
Now il is the turn OF the stray cat. The
educating of the public to the point OF
taking this new crusade seriously should
be quicker and easier than it was with
the mosquito, for the charge against the
cat, particularly at the present time is a
very tangible one, and directly linked
with no less popular problem than the
high cost of living.
Here ia the direct link: The high cost
of living il largely due to the fact that not
ers; this shortage of the crop is IN turn
partly due to the ravages of insects, and
the only positive check on the insects IN
general are the birds. But the birds are
DESTROYED by the cats Every link between
the cat and the cost Of food Is proven by
scientific demonstrations and statis-
tics showing the total. all along the line,
TO be enormous.
For example Frank NJ. Chapman OF the
American Museum Of Natural History
Of New York City figures that there are
about 25 .OOO, 900 cats IN the United States,
and the country annual loss IN crops from
the devastation by insects alone is estIm-
ated nj 81 .554 1863. 300 in 1916. In The
year 1914 the destruction by the Hessian
fIy in the wheat growing States Of the
country was $50, 100000 The crop loss
in the Mississippi Valley in one year, due
10 the cinch bugs, is placed at 500, 900.
600. The epidemic of tent catcrplllars
in New York State from 1898 to 1900.
was stayed by the birds.
The estimate Of the loss of bird life for
the entire country has not been made,
but the figures from several of the States
are most significant and sufficiently ind
cate the seriousness of the cat pest. DIR.
A. n Fisher of the T. : Biological Sur
vev saws. In New York State alone the
cat DESTROYS 3 $4,000 birds annually
Albert Pratt of Illinois calculates that
farm cats OF his State kill over $500, 600
birds annually Is it strange in. view OF
these facts. that men like DIR. Hornsday,
William B. Greeley chairman conscrVa-
ton committee of Campfire Clubs, DIR
Edward II Forbush (ornithologist of
Massachusetts, John Burroughs. DIR.
Frank Chapman american Museum Of
Natural History, New York, John h.
Burnham president American Game
Association regard the cat as the great
est menace 10 bird life?
We now must look to see what the birds
can do if they are unmolested. In p
years the stomachs Of 10000 birds have
been examined BY the Biological Survey,
and il has been found that 80 species feed
upon different varieties of caterpillsrs;
81 species upon the kind that devastate