Jasper County Democrat, Volume 22, Number 1, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 April 1919 — Unnecessary to Slit Crows’ Tongues to Enable Them to Learn to Talk—It Is Cruel [ARTICLE]

Unnecessary to Slit Crows’ Tongues to Enable Them to Learn to Talk—It Is Cruel

The organ of the Agassiz society contains a discussion by prominent bird authorities concerning the old Idea of slitting a crow’s tongue to make the bird talk. The following Is ab* < stracted: “It is a common practice in the West to catch the young birds in early June and place them in a cage, where they lecome very tame and usually talk as well as a parrot. Many people keeping these birds have believed it necessary to slit their tongues before they could learn to talk. This is wholly unnecessary and cruel and should be prevented by law. “The discussion of slitting crows’ tongues Is relegated to the medieval limbo of belief of the 111 luck of peacock feathers; of dragon files sewing up one’s ears; of whisky for snake bite; of man-eating sharks; of rabbit’s feet and the number 13; of going under ladders, spilling salt and breaking mirrors.”