Our Vanishing Wild Life: Its Extermination and PreservationHornaday, William T. (William Temple)
History
Our Vanishing Wild Life: Its Extermination and Preservation
Hornaday, William T. (William Temple)
Game-laws -- United States; Wildlife conservation -- United States
Elsewhere there appears a statement regarding the elk of Jackson Hole,
and the efforts made and being made to save them. At this point we are
interested in the game of Wyoming as a whole.
First of all, the killing of mountain sheep should absolutely cease,
for ten years.
A similar ten-year close season should be accorded moose and
prong-horned antelope.
All grouse should now be classed with doves and swans (no open
season), and kept there for ten years.
Spring shooting is wrong in principle and vicious in practice; and
it should be stopped in Wyoming, as elsewhere.
The automatic and pump shotguns when used in hunting are a disgrace
to Wyoming, as they are to other states, and should be suppressed;
and the silencer for use in hunting is in the black list.
* * * * *
CHAPTER XXXII
NEED FOR A FEDERAL MIGRATORY BIRD LAW, NO-SALE-OF-GAME LAW, AND OTHERS
We are assuming that the American people sincerely desire the adequate
protection and increase of bird life, for reasons that are both
sentimental and commercial. Surely every good citizen dislikes to see
millions of dollar's worth of national wealth foolishly wasted, and he
dislikes to pay any unnecessary increased cost of living. There must be
several millions of Americans who feel that way, and who are disposed to
demand a complete revolution in bird protection.
There are four needs of wild bird life that are fundamental, and that
can not be ignored, any more than a builder can ignore the four
cornerstones of his building. Listed in the order of their importance,
they are as follows:
1.--_The federal protection of all migratory birds._
2.--_The total suppression of the sale of native wild game_.
3.--_The total suppression of spring shooting and of shooting in the
breeding season, and_
4.--_Long close seasons for all species that are about to be "shot
out_."
If the gunners of America wish to have a gameless continent, all they
need do to secure it is to oppose these principles, prevent their
translation into law, and maintain the status quo. If they do this, then
_all our best birds are doomed to swift destruction_. Let no man make a
mistake on that point. The "open seasons" and "bag limits" of the United
States to-day are just as deadly as the 5,000,000 sporting guns now in
use, and the 700,000,000 annual cartridges. It is only the ignorant or
the vicious who will seriously dispute this statement.
THE FEDERAL PROTECTION OF MIGRATORY BIRDS.--The bill now before Congress
for the protection of all migratory birds by the national government is
the most important measure ever placed before that body in behalf of
wild life. A stranger to this proposition will need to pause for thought
in order to grasp its full meaning, and appreciate the magnitude of its
influence.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account