The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1925-06-09
wANTON DESTRUCTION
OF BIRDS IN EUROPE
coNGsTERS BLINDED WIT H
JIoT IRONS BY ITALIAN HUN
TIERS WHILE TRAINING.

Americas lead in the campaign to
.ls the world safe for song birds
49,, been established definitely by the
ont action of the bird societies of
r,,rooe who have left the formulation
- protective policy in the hands of
American and his committee. DR.,
r Gilbert Pearson, president OF the
N.tona1 Association of Audubon So
.;o+;as who returned recently from
three months tour of Europe, has
%oen entrusted with the task of draw
mo no an international treaty which
III govern the hunting OF small birds
", Europe. AS chairman of the inter
no+;ona1 committee for the protection
ne b;rds DR.. Pearson will be assisted
~, representatives from most of the
ic.ding European countries, the New
Work Herald Tribune states.
This action, taken at the convention
,,birb he attended in Gutenberg,
comes as the result of the protests of
minority group in Europe against
the cruelty of wholesale slaughter of
small. insect eating birds. DR.. Pearson
brings back with him tales of almost
Unbelievable cruelty to these tiny
feathered folk.
A Brutal Custom.
an Italy," he explains, ''the visitor
Is Immediately struck by the large
number of blind birds in cages which
can he observed in many of the streets.
These birds are first netted and put
into a dark cellar. When they have
become used to the darkness they are
taken out and blinded in one eye with
red hot iron. Later the same process
is repeated on the other eye. When
the scared eyes have healed the blind
birds are taken into the sunshine in
their little wooden cages and their
cries as they feel the warmth of the
air attracts others of the same species
into the nets which the hunters have
laid for them. The birds so Melted
are sold in the market for food. The
favorite of the epicureans are house
sparrows, European tree sparrows,
greenhnch and chaffinch."
Little or no mention was made OF
game birds during the convention for
the simple reason that the European
system of private ownership of game
so effectively protects the larger game
species that there is no danger OF their
extinction. Every land owner owns
the rights to the game on his property
and for this reason he is very careful
to regulate the shooting so that he
always has a plentiful supply.
In America, DR.. Pearson points out,
lust the opposite is true. Game is pub
lie property and the result is that there
is no individual responsibility for the
preservation of the species. In conse-
quence there is grave danger in this
country that some of our important
wild species will suffer the same fate
as the wild turkey.
Staying of Skylarks.
In Belgium and France it is the sky
lark that is in popular demand. In
Belgium alone last year 100000 sky
larks we're killed and sent to the
French markets.
"A protest against this sort of thing
is little less than dangerous. In Rome
there is an Englishman, Leonard
Hawskley, who is head of local So
ciety for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals. AS such, he frequently takes
advantage of the anti-cruelty law
which exists on the statute books and
hales offenders into court, but he sell
dom gets conviction. But matters
do not stop there. The incensed ltal-
ians who resent his interference have
attempted his life eighteen times
Twice he was left for dead in road
where he was ambushed."
1t is the Latin countries where the
killing and eating of small birds Is
especially prevalent, according to DIR.
Pearson In Germany, England and
Scandinavia there is little difficulty
with the song bird hunter.
There is at present treaty between
the European nations restricting the
killing of song birds, but not all OF
the nations have adopted it and those
that have do not enforce it. 1t was In
protest against the laxness of the en-
rorcement that the convention OF rep
resentatives from ten different nations
met in Gutenberg.