. Useful birds and their protection. Containing brief descriptions of the more common and useful species of Massachusetts, with accounts of their food habits, and a chapter on the means of attracting and protecting birds . forty thousand skins to aParis firm. In Massachusetts this trade bore most heavily upon theGulls and Terns, which were driven out from many breedingplaces along the coast. From 1870 to 1890 this businessAvas at its iieight in this country ; and, as the market inEurope is still brisk, no doubt some birds are still killedhere for millinery purposes, and some are still worn her
. Useful birds and their protection. Containing brief descriptions of the more common and useful species of Massachusetts, with accounts of their food habits, and a chapter on the means of attracting and protecting birds . forty thousand skins to aParis firm. In Massachusetts this trade bore most heavily upon theGulls and Terns, which were driven out from many breedingplaces along the coast. From 1870 to 1890 this businessAvas at its iieight in this country ; and, as the market inEurope is still brisk, no doubt some birds are still killedhere for millinery purposes, and some are still worn here,despite the laws which prohibit any one from killing nativebirds or selling or wearing their feathers. The danger to birds nuiltiplies with the increase of popu-lation, (runners and sportsmen shoot birds mainly to sup-ply the markets or for recreatic^n ; but many persons shootbirds, large or small, merely for sport or practice. Thereis a class of foreigners Avho shoot small birds for sport,and eat them. These people go out in S(iuads, and eachman shoots at every bird within range, whether sitting orflying. The Italians are tremendously destructive to birdlife. In southern Europe the larger birds are now so scarce. PLATE XXXIII. Nest Robbers. A cause of the decreaseof birds in maiij^ localities. (PhotogTaph by A. C. Dike.) CHECKS UPON INCBEASE OF USEFUL BIRDS. 359 that the people have taken to killing the smaller species, andthe killing of small birds is regarded as sport: An Italiansportsman will secure a small live Owl, fasten it on a poleto attract the birds, take his station near by, and shoot everysmall bird that appears ; poachers stretch great nets in placeswhere birds come tofeed or drink ; and thusthe small birds that arereared under protectionin northern Europe areslaughtered on theirmigrations in the steady stream ofimmigration from Italyto America constitutesa great menace to thesmaller birds, as well asto all birds and all ani-mals that are
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