Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 January 1913 — FEDERAL PROTECTION OF BIRDS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

FEDERAL PROTECTION OF BIRDS

By WILLIAM T. HORNADAY

Director of the Ne<a> York Zoological Perk

(The bird portraits with this article are from the "American Natural History.” Copyright, 1904, by William T. Hornaday, are reproduced here by the permission of the publishers, Charles Scribner's Sons.)

AM HE United States department of agriculJL ture is responsible I"J for the startling statement that, in the year 1904, inrsi I sect pests cost this country no less than $420,100,000. Here are the figures of

government experts: Percentage Amount Product. of Loss, of Loss. Cereals 10 $200,000,000 Hay 10 63,000,000 Cotton 10 80 r 000,000 Tobacco .................... 10 6,300,000 Truck crops 4 20 63,000,000 Sugars 10 6,000,000 Fruits 20 27,000,000 Farm forests 10 11,000,000 Miscellaneous crops 10 6,800,000 Total $420,100,000 Keeping in mind this enormous loss, consider also the following facts: (1) That Insectivorous birds do more than all other agencies combined to keep down insect pests; (2) That such birds undoubtedly are rapidly decreasing in number; and that, therefore, (3) Destructive Insects are, in all probability, increasing very rapidly,

•with the result that the damage they do is mounting up, year by year. It is perfectly apparent that here is a situation which demands immediate action, and that this action should bring about the vigilant protection for all time, , and in all parts of the country, of all Insectivorous birds. Many of the most useful of these birds are already on the tobogganslide toward extermination, as the result of stupid state legislation, or the lax enforcement of such laws as have been enacted. To be explicit: There are seven states in which the robin is being legally killed by the tens of thousands annually as “game"! These states are Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, -Tennessee and Maryland. The black bird is legalized “game,” and suffers the same fate in four states—Louisiana, South Carolina, Tennessee and Pennsylvania—and the District of Columbia besides. Doves are slaughtered by the wholesale in 26 states, much to the loss of the farmers, for this bird is a great eater of weed seeds. Cranes, which are also very useful birds, are much hunted for food and for “sport” in Colorado, Nebraska, North Dakota and Oklahoma. Of the sixty-odd species of shorebirds' (i. e., snipe, curlews, plover, sandpipers and the like), at least 30 feed on noxious Insects; yet all of these birds are rapidly disappearing. According to Mr. W. L. McAtee of the

bureau of biological survey (United States department of agriculture):. "The black-bellied plover, or beetlehead. which occurred along the Atlantic coast In great numbers years ago, Is now teen only as a straggler. The golden plover, once exceedingly abundant east of the Oreat Plains, Is now rare.... The Eskimo curlew within the last decade has probably been

exterminated, and other curlews greatly reduced. ... So adverse to the shorebirds are present conditions that the wonder is that any escape. In both fall and spring they are shot along the whole route of their migration north and south. The accompanying illustrations present portraits of a group of birds, most of which the average person probably knows by sight, though I fear that only a small minority Save a clear idea of their very great economic worth. The Jacksnipe (or Wilson ! s snipe) is one of the shorebirds (referred to by Mr. McAtee), which, as a family, are being rapidly exterminated. It destroys large numbers of worms and larvae, for which it probes with its long bill in the soft earth of corn and potato ‘fields—thereby doing the farmer a great service—as well as along the shores of ponds, lakes ghd streams. It also feeds on grasshoppers and other injurious insects. It should be carefully protected, especially during the breeding season. The kildeer plover is another valuable and beautiful shorebird which is being hunted to death. It frequents meadows and pasture lands, well as shores, and devours great quantities of mosquitoes, crane flies, grasshoppers, army worms, cut worms, caterpillars, cotton-boll weevils, cloverleaf weevils, rice weevils, marine worms, wire worms and crayfish. Doubtless everybody knows the robin, perhaps the most democratic of our birds, beloved in the northern states

for his cheerful song and his handsome appearance, glad everywhere to be the companion and the friend of man when he is well treated, and highly valuable as a destroyer of harmful grubs, storms and insects. Yet this bird is murdered literally by the thousands for pot-pies by negroes and poor whites in the southern states above mentioned, and is more or less hunted in other states. Mr. E. A. Mcllhenny, who lives on Avery Lav, says that during the ten days or two weeks of the "robin season” (in January when thg berries are ripe) at l*ast 10,000 of these useful and beautiful birds are slaughtered daily for the pot. “Every negro man and boy who can raise a gun is after them,” says Mr. Mcllhenny. Although this bird causes some loss to small fruit growers, it certainly does vastly more good than harm. It is constantly at work on lawns and fields hunting for destructive insects, whifch it is exceedingly difficult to keep in control. It devours many caterpillars, including hairy species, which infest the orchard, woodland and shade trees. Forty per cent, of its food is insects, and 43 per cent, wild fruit. It would pay the farmer well to go some expense in order to keep the robins away from his fruit trees and berry bushes rather than shoot these birds which are so useful to him in many ways. To murder them for pot-pieß is, of course, nothing short of barbarous. The purple martin is also fond of the society of man, and when not molested by the villainous English sparrows—and still more villainous men by whom it is shot for food, chiefly in the south —it is glad to breed in birdhouses near human habitations. It mates a charming neigh-

bor and a very useful one, for it is remarkably swift and graceful on the wing, and is expert and persistent in catching rose beetles, May beetles, cucumber beetles, mosquitoes, house flies and flies that trouble horses and cattle. One observer records that 32 parent martins made 3,275 visits to their young in one Jay, each visit meaning, probably, anywhere from one to half a dozen insects. The nighthawk (also called “bullbat”) i' probably one of the most useful of birds. It feeds exclusively on insects, and ranks next to the golden-winged woodpecker (flicker) as a feathered destroyer of ants, which it takes when they are in the winged stage. Potato beetles, cucumber beetles, leaf hoppers, bugs of various kinds and enormous quantities of gnats and mosquitoes are found in their stomachs. They are entirely harmless, for they never feed on fruit, grain, grass or vegetables. Yet they are being hunted for sport and are being exterminated. The loggerhead (or southern) shrike IT* champion pest destroyer, a large

percentage of its food being harm* ful rodents and destructive insects, the latter including grasshoppers, crickets and moths, which it frequent* ly impales upon thorns or sharp twigs. It sometimes catches young birds (though this is more characteristic of the northern shrike, or butcher bird,) but its diet is chiefly insects and small rodents. It is, therefore, very valuable to the farmer.

The golden-winged woodpecker (also called "flicker,” “highhole,” etc.) is an industrious tree protector, and the most efficient of all feathered anteaters. It is also feeds freely upon beetles, grasshoppers, crickets, catejrpillars, and other harmful Insects, as well as on weed Beds. Yet it is rapidly growing rare because it is much hunted for food. It should be protected everywhere and at all times.

In view of the decrease already accomplished in the general volume of bird life in America, in view of the enormous losses annually inflicted upon the people Of this country by the ravages of insects, and in view of the destruction of wild life which is now furiously proceeding throughout America, the McLean bill, which is now before congress,„to provide for the federal protection of all migratory birds, becomes the most important wild life measure that ever came before that body. In view of the annual economic loss that will continue as long as a •federal migratory bird bill falls to pass, it is impossible for anyone to put forth one good reason —unless it be on purely technical grounds —against that measure. The Weeks bill, before the lower house of congress, is precisely like the McLean bill, and it matters not which one passes first Unlesß the people of this country wish to shut their eyes to their own interests, and pay out millions of dollars annually in the form of increased cost of living due to the losses caused by insect pests which would be destroyed by the birds, they should demand that a federal migratory bird bill be at once enacted into a law. It is Senate ,Bill No. 6497, and on the senate calendar it is No. 606. We cannot afford to wait until 1914 or 1915, and congress has full power to act this winter.

The Robin. Highly Valuable as an Insect and Grub Destroyer, But Murdered by the Thousands for Pot-Pies In the South.

Golden-Winged Woodpecker. £ Greet Tree-Protector, and Champion Ant-De*troyer Whlefi la Brin* Extermlnted by Pot-Huntera.

y ' The Jacksnipe. A Useful Bird Which Is Rapidly Becoming Extinct.

The Klldeer Plover. Another Valuable Shorebird Which Destroys Great Quantities of Worms , _ and Insects.

The Purple Martin. An Industrious Hunter of Mosquitoes and Other Dangerous Insects. Which Itself Is Being Hunted to Death as Food.

The Nighthawk. One of the Most Useful of Insectivorous Birds Which Is Being Hunted for "Sport” and Exterminated.

The Loggerhead Shrike. Fifty-nine Per Cent, of Its Food Is Insects, and Twenty-eight Per Cent. Is Harmful Rodents.