The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1920-12-09
Audubon Society Urges Hail in
Destruction, Due to 50-Cent
Bounty Law.
BIRDS OF FREEDOM LIBaD
official Cites Instances Of Mistaken
Bird Campaign in Asking suspen-
sion Of Bounty Law-12,o 900
Killed Since Law Enacted.

Alaska frequently kill full-grown
deer, and are devastators of sheep and
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 T. Gilbert Pearson, secretary
Of the Audubon Societies National as
sociat ton.
Mr.. Pearson has been directing from
the New York offices of the associa-
ton an agitation to save the American
eagles In Alaska by removing the
price of 80 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 a very black prima tacie
c<se against him. but the bird experts
Of the Audubon societies generally be-
heve that the eagle has been convicted
on hearsay evidence and without much
q triai. BY way Of giving the bird
his day in court. the department %
agriculture has sent scientist to
Alaska 10 make a 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 1900. accord
ing to estimates today. C. d. 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
southeastern and western Alaska. and
1t 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 beuefi-
cial.
"Of course, human beings are more
important than BIRDS" he said, "and
their concerns are entitled to first con-
sideration. II the charges against the
American e6gle 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 a suspension Of the
its of the eagle, which have been un-
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
q time II seemed as II the meadow
lark was doomed. but a careful inves-
figAtion of the origin of the outcry
against the lark showed that II all,
started with e statement Of a farmer
that he had seen q lark sitting on the
grapes. - - =. ~
.New Jersey bad similar period
of hysteria against the robin. which
was alleged, TO be destroying the
cherry, msp There was a great prop6:.
ganda In ArIatnsas and Texas for q
time because. of the untrue charge
that they were destroying rice fields.
"Cne Of the most exciting cam.
paigns of persecution against a lib
eral bird started along the gulf coast
in 1918, when II was. alleged that the
brown pelican was destroying food fish
at the rate Of nearly a million dollars
q day, and as II was put In one in
dictment-'every day they consumed
more food fish than the people Of
Texas got in year.
Mistakes Campaign Against ouIIs.
"The assailants of the birds placed
their numbers at a million and started
the slogan: XIII the pelican or the
kaiser will get you They appealed
to the federal food administration to
aid in destroying the bird to save the
ish. by cooperation between the
federal and stste authorities i under
took an investigation of the habits
Of the bird and made a cruise with a
party visiting all but one of the is
lands on which they were supposed to
breed. This showed that, instead Of
numbering million, their number
could not exceed $4,000 II also
showed that they lived exclusively on
menhaden, q fish not eaten by hu-
mans.
"One OF these periodic fiare-ups
against birds actually left deep mark
on the development Of the country and
is truly an historic episode. II is re-
counted by e. II. Furbush. state
ornithologist OF Massachusetts, that
the inhabftssats of Southern Harbor a
great many sears ago became alarmed
at the great hocks of gulls which con-
gregated there TO eat the heads and