Chapter Thirty-One

HOW TO BRING THE WILD CREATURES BACK AGAIN

In the preceding chapters we have learned something of the destructive warfare that men have carried on against wild creatures. We have learned that some species are already extinct and that many others have been so reduced in numbers that they are threatened with the same fate.

Nothing that we can do will bring back those that are gone, but we can save those that are left. Throughout our own country as well as many foreign countries, people are waking up to the necessity of protecting wild life. Thousands of men and women are spending their time and money trying to save birds and other animals. Among the things they are doing is the establishing of refuges and game preserves, working for better laws, and teaching boys and girls to be careful of life and not wantonly to destroy it.

The most important thing that we can do to bring wild creatures back again is to let them alone. Man is their worst enemy, and, if he can be kept from hunting, nearly all will be able to take care of themselves and increase in numbers. We can help Nature by supplying them with food when it is scarce and by protecting them from a few predatory animals and birds. The worst of these are the cougar or mountain lion, wild cat, lynx, wolves, and coyotes; the blue jay, butcher bird, and several of the hawks and owls. The cougar is the worst of all, for it has been estimated that one of these animals kills on the average fifty deer a year. Many of the states offer bounties for the killing of the mountain lion and coyote.

Ordinarily birds are able to secure their own food; but sometimes during long, snowy winters those that do not fly away South need food. There are also many trees which bear fruit that is not much used by us but which is very attractive to the birds. The planting of such trees aids in bringing birds to our homes and encourages their increase.

The settlement of the lands suitable to farming has deprived some of the hoofed animals, such as the elk, of their natural feeding grounds. The elk that are found in the summer in the meadows of the Yellowstone Park migrate in winter to the lower valleys outside of the park. These valleys are mostly fenced up, and to keep the elk from getting into trouble with the farmers it is often necessary for the government to buy hay and feed them.

In order to make sure that the wild animals shall be free to live and increase safe from the hunter, we have established great game preserves in different parts of the country. These are usually regions that are wild and unsettled and not useful for other purposes. All the great National Parks which we are trying to keep in their natural condition with their animals, birds, and plants are now game preserves. Among them are the Yellowstone, Yosemite, Rainier, and Crater Lake parks. Visitors to these preserves are not allowed to carry any guns, and wardens constantly patrol them.

The life of the Yellowstone Park is wonderfully interesting. Here we find droves of many of the animals that were in danger of becoming extinct. Among them are the buffalo, elk, and antelope. Here the grizzly and all the lesser bears are safe from the hunter. They have almost lost their fear of man and come about the camps and hotels for food, as the domestic animals do. In the park are some colonies of beaver, too, which will never again be disturbed by the fur hunter. On the higher peaks are a few Rocky Mountain sheep.

Another way in which we are protecting the wild animals is by making it legal to hunt them during only a short time each year. This is called the "open season." In the case of some of the animals that are nearly extinct we have made a "closed season" extending through a number of years. With this protection we are hoping that they will be saved and sometime become numerous again. All our states have made game laws which give more or less protection to the deer, elk, moose, antelope, squirrel, and other animals. In the case of some of these animals the females are absolutely protected, and the number of the males--as of the deer, for example--that may be killed in a season is often as small as two, and in two states it is only one. A heavy fine is imposed upon any one killing the protected animals or having their meat in his possession.

We are trying to protect the birds in much the same manner as the wild animals. But because of their migrations this is much more difficult. Many kinds of birds travel with the changing seasons from north to south across different countries. If the people of one country protect them and those of another do not, they may easily become exterminated. Some species have become extinct in the last fifty years, and others have been reduced to a few pairs in regions where they were once seen in thousands.

There are three things that have brought about this slaughter of the birds. The first is hunting them for food. This was not so serious until the market hunters began their work. Then the small game birds that were salable quickly began to disappear. In most of our states the sale of game birds in the market is now prohibited.

Another cause for the decrease in the birds is the wanton shooting of some just for sport, and the hunting of others that are mistakenly supposed to be harmful. We cannot wholly stop this until we teach people to respect the birds, to love them for their music, and to appreciate the great good which many of them do by their destruction of insects and small animal pests.

Many of the birds which we have too often tried to kill or drive away are among the best friends we have. When we have learned all about their habits and their food, we shall find that only a very few are really harmful, and that the others abundantly repay the toll that they take of our produce. The farmer and the fruit grower should be particularly interested in protecting and encouraging the birds. If the birds pull up the sprouting seeds in your garden, do not kill them but protect the plants with wire screens. It is likely that these very birds feed largely upon the insects that are so harmful to your crops.

If the children in our schools could spend a little of their time in the interesting study of bird life, we are sure that when they grow up the wanton destruction of birds will almost cease. The Boy Scouts and the Camp Fire Girls are learning to love and respect life in the wilds and would not for anything injure its inhabitants. The children of the Agassiz Associations and the Junior Audubon Societies can also be proud of the work they are doing. They are not only saving the birds about our homes but are attracting others by putting out food, planting trees that bear attractive fruit, and making nesting places for the birds.

The third important thing which has been bringing about the decrease of the birds is hunting them for their plumes. For fifty years the demand for plumes for millinery purposes has been growing. The trade has spread until it now reaches the most remote islands of the sea. No bird, be its home in the most remote and inaccessible jungles, has until recently been safe from the plume hunter.

Now some of the foremost nations have passed laws for the protection of many of the water and jungle birds, which, unfortunately for themselves, are so beautiful that milady longs to have them for her bonnet. Nearly all the states of our own land offer more or less protection to birds of beautiful plumage. There is, however, much yet to be done, for in parts of our country birds that should be protected are still at the mercy of the plume hunter.

The Migratory Bird Law recently passed by Congress is one of the most important things which we have ever done for the birds. This law protects the multitude of water birds as well as land birds, that migrate with the changing seasons. It is especially important that all such birds be protected in the regions where they nest.

In the case of the water birds the nests are often grouped in colonies in certain places and not scattered singly here and there as with most land birds. Thus when a colony, say of the heron, tern, or flamingo, is found it is very easy for the hunter to break it up and destroy all the birds. Among the water birds the gulls, terns, grebes, herons, egrets, osprey, flamingos, and pelicans have been so hunted for their plumes that some of them are almost extinct. Several of these species love the rocky coasts, where their nests are found upon the almost bare ledges of the cliffs. Others establish colonies about the marshy lagoons of the Gulf and South Atlantic coasts and about the marshy shore of the lakes of the interior.

During recent years many bird refuges have been established in various parts of the country. Such refuges are now scattered all along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, as well as at various other localities throughout the country which are favorite nesting places for the birds. Some of these refuges have been established and are guarded by the government; others have been donated by wealthy persons who love birds and want to see them preserved.

The most beautiful of the water birds have been so relentlessly hunted by the plume gatherers that at the time of the establishment of the refuges some of them were almost extinct and it was feared the birds would not be able to survive. But in most cases the effect of protection was magical. The bird refuges in the Southern coast islands and marshes which were almost deserted are now alive again with birds. Here we can get some idea of the wonderful richness of life before the bird hunters began their work. Even now, in spite of the watchful patrols, the hunters sometimes succeed in getting at the colonies. In order to insure full protection the refuges must be extended and more patrols employed, for such is the value of the plumes that desperate men will undergo great risks for the sake of obtaining them.

In order fully to stop this work, all those countries where plumes are in demand must forbid their sale. Only when there is no more demand can we get rid of the hunters.

In our efforts to protect bird life, we must not forget to take into account the instincts of our friend Pussy. It hardly seems as though the quiet house cat could do much harm, but if you will watch one out of doors when the birds are around you will be convinced that Pussy is one of the worst enemies that small birds have. Cats destroy many thousands of birds throughout the country. It is believed that they each average at least fifty birds killed every year. If you will multiply this number by the number of cats in your neighborhood, you will get some idea of the great losses among the birds due to the cats. We must choose between Pussy and the birds.

Arbor Day and Bird Day in our schools help call to mind the claims Nature has upon us. We might celebrate them by planting trees which furnish food that the birds like, for the trees and birds go together.

How pleasant it will be when that happy time comes in which the wild creatures will cease to regard man as their worst enemy! How pleasant it will be to go out through the fields and woods and along the shores and find that they look upon us as friends!

THE PRECEPTOR'S PLEA FOR THE BIRDS

Plato, anticipating the Reviewers, From his Republic banished without pity The Poets; in this little town of yours, You put to death, by means of a Committee, The ballad-singers and the Troubadours, The street musicians of the heavenly city, The birds, who make sweet music for us all In our dark hours, as David did for Saul.

The thrush that carols at the dawn of day From the green steeples of the piny wood; The oriole in the elm; the noisy jay, Jargoning like a foreigner at his food; The bluebird balanced on some topmost spray, Flooding with melody the neighborhood; Linnet and meadow lark, and all the throng That dwell in nests, and have the gift of song.

You slay them all! and wherefore? for the gain Of a scant handful more or less of wheat, Or rye, or barley, or some other grain, Scratched up at random by industrious feet, Searching for worm or weevil after rain! Or a few cherries, that are not so sweet As are the songs these uninvited guests Sing at their feast with comfortable breasts.

Do you ne'er think what wondrous beings these? Do you ne'er think who made them, and who taught The dialect they speak, where melodies Alone are the interpreters of thought? Whose household words are songs in many keys, Sweeter than instrument of man e'er caught! Whose habitations in the treetops even Are halfway houses on the road to heaven!

Think, every morning when the sun peeps through The dim, leaf-latticed windows of the grove, How jubilant the happy birds renew Their old, melodious madrigals of love! And when you think of this, remember too 'Tis always morning somewhere, and above The awakening continents, from shore to shore, Somewhere the birds are singing evermore.

Think of your woods and orchards without birds! Of empty nests that cling to boughs and beams As in an idiot's brain remembered words Hang empty 'mid the cobwebs of his dreams! Will bleat of flocks or bellowing of herds Make up for the lost music, when your teams Drag home the stingy harvest, and no more The feathered gleaners follow to your door?

What! would you rather see the incessant stir Of insects in the windrows of the hay, And hear the locust and the grasshopper Their melancholy hurdy-gurdies play? Is this more pleasant to you than the whir Of meadow lark, and its sweet roundelay, Or twitter of little fieldfares, as you take Your nooning in the shade of bush and brake?

You call them thieves and pillagers; but know They are the winged wardens of your farms, Who from the cornfields drive the insidious foe, And from your harvests keep a hundred harms; Even the blackest of them all, the crow, Renders good service as your man-at-arms, Crushing the beetle in his coat of mail, And crying havoc on the slug and snail.

HENRY W. LONGFELLOW, The Birds of Killingworth

INDEX

Abandoned farms, 52. Acacia tree, gum arabic made from, 95. Adobe soil, 58. Æolian soil, 66. Africa, need for protection of animals in, 180. Agassiz Associations, work of, 207. Air, importance of pure, 10. Alaska, protection of fish in waters about, 170. Alkali soil, 59. Alluvial soil, 64. Animals, the first domestic, 5; careless destruction of, 12, 49; court of birds and, 188-194; predatory, 203. Antelope, disappearance of, 179; in Yellowstone Park, 205. Appalachian Forest, the, 133-134. Arabs, life of the, 25. Arbor Day, celebration of, 210; Argentine ant, a plague, 153. Australia, rabbits as pests in, 152. Aztec Indians, 20.

Bacteria in soil, 59-60. Balance of nature, 151; effects of upsetting, 151-154. Barren Lands, 101. Bears, in early times, 21; in Yellowstone Park, 205. Beaver, trapping of, 179; protection of, 205. Big trees of California, 49, 99. Bird Day, observance of, 210. Bird of paradise, nearly extinct, 187. Bird refuges, 187, 208-209; patrols for, 209-210. Birds, 21; extinct species of, 22; destruction of, 49, 176-182; hunting of, for millinery purposes, 183-187; court of the, 188-194; our good friends and pleasant companions, 195-202; predatory, 203; national protection of, 205-206. Black bears, case of the, 192-193. Blue jays, 189. Bobolink, friends and enemies of, 189. Bone, implements of, 3. Boy Scouts, love of, for wild creatures, 207. Broad-leaved and narrow-leaved trees, 98. Bronze, making of, 5. Browntail moth, 152. Buffaloes, 21; slaughter of, 177; in Yellowstone Park, 205.

California, forests of, 49, 98; "big trees" of, 99. California condor, disappearance of, 180. Camp Fire Girls, love of, for wild creatures, 207. Camping parties, forest fires started by, 122. Canada, beaver in, 179. Canada balsam, 93. Canals, use of water for, 87. Cats, killing of birds by, 210. Chesapeake Bay, fisheries of, 167. Chestnut-tree blight, 107. China, results of destruction of vegetation in, 79-80. Christmas decorations, 149. Cigarettes, forest fires caused by, 122. Citrus canker, 109. "City on the Plain, The," 14. Clay, a part of soil, 58. Clay loam, 58. Closed season for hunting, 205. Coal, care necessary in use of, 12; unequal distribution of, 27; deposits and mining of, 155-156; waste connected with, 156-157. Cod fisheries, 170. Codling moth, 153. Colorado River, mud carried by, 73; use of water of, for irrigation, 87. Cone-bearing trees, 98; enemies of, 110. Conservation, meaning of, 8. Conservation commissions, 138. Coon, arguments for and against the, 193. Cotton-boll weevil, 153. Cougar, a predatory beast, 203. Coyotes, killing of, 152; defense of, 193. Crater Lake National Park, 140.

Deer, killed by cougars, 203. Deltas of rivers, 43, 55; alluvial soil in, 64. Desert, results of lack of vegetation in the, 70-71. Digger pines, 99. Ducks, complaints of oyster farmers against, disproved, 194.

Egrets, killing of, 185, 187. Electricity, harnessing of, 8; use of water for making, 88. Elephant, urgent need of protection of, 181. Elk, 21; hunting of, 179; feeding grounds of, 204. English sparrow, 153; should be driven out, 188. Erie Canal, 87. Eskimos, the, 25; wood lacking among, 89.

Farmers, great value of work of, 51. Feldspar, rock grains called, 63. Fertilizers, 11; use of herring for, 167. Field mice, plagues of, 151. Fire, ignorance of early people concerning, 3; discovery of, 3. See Forest fires. Fish, caring for, 14; protection needed by, 162-165. Fish preserves, 169-170. Fish traps, 22, 165-169. Flamingos, killing of, 187. Flowers, destruction of, 144-149. Fool's gold, 63. Forest fires, 110-111, 119-124; steps taken by national government to prevent, 131-138. Forest rangers, work of, 134-137. Forests, effect of cutting down of, on birds, 22; unequal distribution of, 26-27; destruction of, 34; effect of destruction of, on soil, 37-38, 40-42; possible restoration of, 47-49; importance of, to man, 89-95; location of, 96-103; special sources of damage to, 104-111; various methods by which wasted, 112-118; government protection of, 131-138; National Parks and Forests as playgrounds, 139-143. France, cutting of forests and careless pasturing in, 79. Fruit trees, enemies of, 107, 109. Fuel, use of wood for, 90; use of peat for, 155. Fur seals, destruction of, 165.

Game preserves, 204-205. Gas, waste connected with, 157-161. Glacial soil, 65. Goats, forests injured by, 111. Grand Cañon National Park, 140. Grasshoppers, plagues of, 109, 151. Great plains, 96. Grizzly bears, destruction of, 179, 192; in Yellowstone Park, 205. Gusher in California oil field, 158, 159. Gypsy moth, 106-107, 151.

Hardwood trees, 98. Hawks, arguments for and against, 189-190. "Heart of the Tree, The," 139. Hens, early ancestors of, 5. Herons, hunting of, for their plumage, 185. Herring, waste in capture of, 166-167. Hessian fly, 153. Houses, the first, 3. Huckleberry shrub, cutting of, 147, 149. Humming birds, use of skins of, for capes, 186. Humus, in soil, 57; destruction of, by forest fires, 123, 125.

Indians, life of, 19-23; uses found by, for wood, 90; fishing methods of, 163. Insect enemies of trees, 106, 109, 110, 152-154; warfare waged against, by forest rangers, 136-137; eaten by birds, 197-202. "In the Heart of the Woods," 24. Iron, found in quartz sand, 58. Irrigation, storage of water for, 84, 85, 87. Italy, results of destruction of forests in, 77, 79; wild chestnuts valued in, 90; scarcity of birds in, 196.

Jays, arguments for and against, 189. Jungle fowls, wild, 5. Junior Audubon Societies, work of, 207.

Klamath Lake, bird refuge about, 187. Korea, results of destruction of vegetation in, 79-80; dikes built along rivers in, 80.

Lightning, an enemy of the forest, 110-111; fires started by, 121. Limestone soils, 59. Loam, clay and sandy, 58. Lobsters, protection of, 167. Los Angeles, water supply of, 29-30. Lumber, an important use of trees, 90. Lumbering, waste of trees in, 114-118.

Malheur Lake, bird refuge about, 187. Maple sugar, 93. Martins, insects eaten by, 199. Meadow larks, 191-192. Medicinal products from trees, 93, 95. Metals, discovery of, 4-5. Mica, in quartz sand, 58. Migrations of birds, 205-206. Migratory Bird Law, 200, 208. Mills, the first, 7. Mineral resources, destruction and new supply of, 49-50. Mink, points against and in favor of, 193. Mississippi Valley, rich prairies of, 53-54. Mistletoe, an enemy of trees, 107. Mocking bird, song of, 195. Mongoose, as a pest, 153, 154. Montenegro, results of destruction of soil in, 79.

National Forests, 133-139. National Parks, 19, 139-143; are game preserves, 204-205. Nets, catching of fish in, 167, 169. New England, soil of, 51-53; gypsy and browntail moths in, 152; beaver in, 179. Newfoundland banks, fisheries of, 170. Nitrogen, in soil, 57; stored in soil by plants, 77. Norway rat, 153.

Oil, waste connected with, 157-161. Open season for hunting, 205. Orange orchards, citrus canker in, 109. Oregon, protection of beaver in, 179; bird refuges in, 187. Owens River aqueduct, 29. Owls, good and bad points of, 190-191. Oysters, raised on oyster farms, 167.

Palestine, destruction of vegetation in, 79. Panama Canal, 87. Passenger pigeon, extermination of, 22, 180. "Passing of the Forest, The," 130. Pear blight, 109. Peat, crumbling vegetation called, 57; use of, for fuel, 155. Peat soils, 58, 59, 66. Phosphorus in soil, 59. Pine beetles, 110. Piñon pines, 99. Plant food, 45, 60. Plants, enemies of, 104-111. Plumage, hunting of birds for, 183-187, 207-208. Polar bear, protection needed by, 181. Potash in soil, 59. Powder, discovery of, 8. Prairie chicken, disappearance of, 180. "Preceptor's Plea for the Birds, The," 211-212. Pueblo Indians, 19-20.

Quail, need for protection of, to preserve from extinction, 180; cheery call of, 195; value and attractiveness of, 201; insects eaten by, 202. Quartz, in sand grains, 58. Quinine, made from cinchona tree, 95.

Rabbits, as pests, 152. Rainier National Park, 140. Rats, plagues of, 151. Redwood trees, 99. Refuges for birds, 22. Residual soil, 64. Rocks, soil made from, 58, 61-66. Rocky Mountain sheep, in Yellowstone Park, 205. Rubber trees, 93.

Sage grouse, need for protection of, 180. Salmon fisheries, 169-170. San Joaquin Valley, 101. San José scale, 109, 151, 153. Santa Catalina Island, fish preserve about, 169. Sea lions, 194. Sea otter, destruction of, 22, 165; protection of, by law, 179. Seals, fur, 22; hunting of, 165. Sequoias, 99, 115. Shad, decrease in numbers of, 169. Sheep, damage done to forests by, 111. Shingle makers, waste of trees by, 115. Shore birds, value of, 200. Sierra Nevadas, "big trees" on, 49; changes in climate in ascent of, 101, 103; usefulness of woodpeckers in, 199. Silt, 75. Skunks, friends and enemies of, 193. Soda in soil, 59. Soil, care of the, 11-12; effect of destruction of forests upon, 37-38, 40-42; renewal of, by nature, 45; story of formation of, 51-56; real wealth of world formed by, 56; things of which made, 57-60; plant food in, 60; how made, 61-66; how vegetation holds, 67-72; our most valuable possession, 74; evil effects upon, of no protecting carpet of vegetation, 74-80; effect of, on growth of trees, 101. Songbirds, hunting of, for their plumage, 185. Southern states, destruction of soil in, 77; turpentine from pine forests of, 93. Spain, waste of resources of, 25-26; results in, of loss of soil, 79; treatment of birds in, 196. Spruce forest, destruction of, by forest fires, 126. Squirrels, nuts of trees eaten by, 109; ground, as pests, 152. Stone, implements of, 3. Sturgeon, destructive fishing of, 167. Subsoil, 64. Sugar pines, 99; nuts of, eaten by squirrels, 109; careless cutting of, 115. Swallows, insects eaten by, 199. Switzerland, care of wood in, 93, 114. Syria, destruction of vegetation in, 79.

Tamarack forests, use of, 126. Trees, destruction of, 12; importance of, to man, 89-95; distribution of, in United States, 96-103; enemies of, 104-111; the careless wasting of, 111-118. Tundras of far North, 101. Turpentine obtained from yellow pines, 93.

Valley lands, 40, 42; fertility of, 53; alluvial soil in, 64. Vegetation, holding of soil by, 67-72; results of lack of, 73-80.

Walrus, nearly extinct, 165. Water, obtaining of pure, 10-11; home of, the ocean, 81; use and care of, 81-88. Water creatures, need for protection of, 162-170. Water power, use of, 157. Water supply, effect upon, of cutting of forests, 127-129. Weasels, defense of, 193. White Mountain Forest, the, 134. White-pine blister, 107. Wild flowers, necessity for care of, 144-149. Wind, effect of, on soil, 65-66; an enemy of the forests, 110. Wood alcohol, 117. Woodpeckers, usefulness of, 198.

Yangtse-kiang, soil carried away by, 80. Yellow Sea, reason for name, 80. Yellowstone National Park, 140; a game preserve, 204-205; animal life in, 205. Yosemite National Park, 140.

NEW-WORLD SCIENCE SERIES

Edited by John W. Ritchie

TREES, STARS and BIRDS

A BOOK OF OUTDOOR SCIENCE

By EDWIN LINCOLN MOSELEY

Head of the Science Department, State Normal College of Northwestern Ohio

The usefulness of nature study in the schools has been seriously limited by the lack of a suitable textbook. It is to meet this need that Trees, Stars, and Birds is issued. The author is one of the most successful teachers of outdoor science in this country. He believes in field excursions, and his text is designed to help teachers and pupils in the inquiries that they will make for themselves.

The text deals with three phases of outdoor science that have a perennial interest, and it will make the benefit of the author's long and successful experience available to younger teachers.

The first section deals with trees, and the discussion of maples is typical: the student is reminded that he has eaten maple sugar; there is an interesting account of its production; the fact is brought out that the sugar is really made in the leaves. The stars and planets that all should know are told about simply and clearly. The birds commonly met with are considered, and their habits of feeding and nesting are described. Pertinent questions are scattered throughout each section.

The book is illustrated with 167 photographs, 69 drawings, 9 star maps, and with 16 color plates of 58 birds, from paintings by Louis Agassiz Fuertes.

It is well adapted for use in junior high schools, yet the presentation is simple enough for pupils in the sixth grade.

Cloth, viii + 404 + xvi pages. Price $1.60

WORLD BOOK COMPANY YONKERS-ON-HUDSON, NEW YORK 2126 PRAIRIE AVENUE, CHICAGO

ELIZABETH V. BROWN'S

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WHEN THE WORLD WAS YOUNG

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