Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1920-11-12
Audubon Society Urges Halt in
Destruction, Due to 50-Cent
Bounty Law.
BIRDS OF FREEDOM L|BELED
Official Cites Instances OF Mistaken
Bird Campaign In Asking Suspen-
sion Of Bounty Law-12,OO
Killed Since Law Enacted.

Alaska frequently Kill full-groWh
deer, and are devastators of sheep ana
other live stock, fur-bearing animals,
domestic and wild fowl, salmon and
other food fish, according to Alaskans
who have been writing on the sub
ject to II. Gilbert Pearson, secretary
Of the Audubon Societies National as
ISOLATION.
Mr.. Pearson has been directing from
the New York offices of the assocla-
ton an agitation to save the American
eagles IN Alaska by removing the
price of so cents a head, which was
placed on their heads by the Alas
kan legislature In 1917, which made
them outlaws because of their sup
posed destructiveness. The accusers
of the bird Of freedom In Alaska have
made out very black prima facie
case against him, but the bird experts
Of the Audubon societies generally be-
lieve that the eagle has been convicted
on hearsay evidence and without much
Of trial. BY way of giving the bird
his day In court, the department or
agriculture has sent scientist TO
Alaska TO make close study of ways
and habits of the defendant.
The number of eagles killed In
Alaska since the bounty law went into
effect Is not less than 10000, accord
ing to estimates today. G. ID. Gar
field, secretary Of the Alaska Fish and
Game club, in letter to Mr.. Pearson
In August said:
"a vast difference is noted in the
numbers of these birds showing In
south eastern and western Alaska and
it is safe prediction that, II the
slaughter continues for few years
longer, the species will become prac-
tically extinct in this country"
Asks Suspension Of Bounty.
According to Mr.. Pearson, one sec
ton or another of this country is al
ways working itself up into a witch
burning zeal against some particular
bird, which usually proves in time
to be not only innocent, but benef-
cial.
"Of course, human beings are more
important than birds" he said, "and
their concerns are entitled to first con-
sderation. If the charges against the
American eagle were all proved, the
bounty law would be justified. But
there have been so many mistaken
slaughtering campaigns against valu-
able or harmless birds that we are ask
ing In this case suspension Of the
bounty law until the study of the hab-
its of the eagle, which have been I'M
dertaken show whether he really de-
serves slaughter or not.
"a few years ago there was an anti
meadow-lark campaign In California.
Speeches were made in the legislature
to the effect that they were running
the grape crop In some sections. For
a time II seemed as If the meadow
lark was doomed, but careful inves-
tigation of the origin Of the cutlery
against the lark showed that it all
started with statement of farmer
that he had seen q lark sitting on the
grapes.
New Jersey had a similar period
Of hysteria against the robin, which
was alleged to be destroying the
cherry crop. There was a great propa-
ganda in Arkansas and Texas for q
time because of the untrue charge
that they were destroying rice fields.
zone of the most exciting CAM
paigns of persecution against a lib
eral bird started along the gulf coast
In 1918, when 1t was alleged that the
brown pelican was destroying food fish
at the rate of nearly~a million dollars
a day, and as il was put In one In
dictment-'every day they consumed
more food fish than the people OF
Texas got in n year.
Mistakes Campaign Against GuIIs.
"The assailants of the birds placed
their numbers at million and started
the slogan: Kill the pelican or the
kaiser will get you They appealed
TO the federal food administration to
aid in destroying the bird to save the
fish. BY cooperation between the
federal and state authorities ! under
took an investigation of the habits
OF the bird and made cruise with a
party visiting all but one Of the IT,
lands on which they were supposed tc
breed. This showed that, instead OF
numbering million, their number
could not exceed $1,000. II also
showed that they lived exclusively or
menhaden, a fish not eaten by hu
mans.
zone of these periodic fare-up:
against birds actually left deep marx
on the development of the country and
Is truly an historic episode. II is re
counted by e. III. Furbush, state
ornithologist of Massachusetts,, tina
the inhabitants of Southern Harbor 9
great many years ago became alarmed
at the great flocks of gulls which con
gregated there to eat the heads anC
remains Of the fish which were thrown
into the water. 1t is frequent charge
against the gulls that they destro!
food fish. hut the fact Is that they arr
almost exclusively scsvengers. The
anti-bird fever spread over this com
munity and gulls were slaughtered I'm
I'll thew were exterminated. Their