Nov., ?9oo I THE CONDOR 139 Communications A Protest Against the Indiscriminate Use of Poison by Orchardists. EDITOR THE CONDOR.--The proposed new bird law which was considered at the last meet- ing of The Cooper Ornithological Club, met with the hearty approval of its members, and the discussion which followed illustrated the importance of concentrated action in such mat- ters. In this case, among other methods of destroying birds, that of poisoning, which prevails so extensively in Southern Cali(ornia, was mentioned by the writer. At once enough facts were presented by the members to estab- lish beyond question that this p[actice, which destroys the beneficial as well as the obnoxiotts birds, should be suppressed. Since the meeting I have takel? the trouble to write to friends and acquaintances iu differ- ent parts of Southern California in regard to poisoning of birds in their locality. The evidence from this source shows that most of the animosity is against the linnet or house finch. In outlying districts where little fruit is raised, he remains with it from the start, and nodoubt is a pest to that particular orchard. Powder and shot cost money and require constant vigi- lance in its use, so the orchardist resorts to cups of poisoned water and broken fruit dosed with arsenic or strychnine, placed in neighboring trees. The linnets might, and do, rain down in clouds, without protest; but it*happens that about the time of the ripenlug of the first fruits our beautiful Louisiana Tanager passes through Southern California on its northern migration, some years in iron ease numbers. He carries his appetite with him and is sure to meet one of the many death-traps set for the linnet and is destroyed by the thousands, although he tarries but a few days and does no more damage than he is entitled to do. I have myself seen ?56, bi?ds dead under onlree, of which I3o were tansgets, all the result of one tooming's work. The fact was agitated in the local papers, but there being l?o law protect- ing the bird, it had no effect. A letter received today from Miss Mollie Bryan, of Orange, who is much interested in bird protection, gives a graphic account of the methods and actual results of bird poisoning. I quote from it as follows: "I have taken a little time to enquire about the birds poisoned liere. I know of hut one orchardist in Orange who has poisoned to protect. loquaui and I can- not obtain accurate auntbets with regard to the mischief he has done. Three years ago he killed principally tansgets, some orioles, the
rest linnets, the numbers running up into the
hundreds. I remember hearing at the time that three hundred had been killed before the season was over. The next year the linnets were the most numerous of the killed. A friend has just told me she was visiting at this place, saw the fruit poisoned with arsenic, tied in the ornamental trees 'and the poor little dead linnets literally rained down. I gathered my dress-skirt full of the dead birds and brought them home.' But the orchardist said that the tanagers were very scarce that year; he had not killed one the day my friend was there. And this year he says there has been but few about his place, though I could tell him they were plentiful at my home. "The second year hi? numbers ran to 'about a thousand,' but mostly linnets. My inform- ants are reliable. but they have forgotten the exact numbers, but all are sure that my state- ment of three hundred is not exaggerated in the least. The idea of linnets eating apricot fruit-buds seems to be exploded, and poisoning for that has stopped in this section, though two years ago it was universally done in San Bernardino Co., and the ranchers were very proud of the work of destruction they were do- ing. That was done by putting cups of pois- oned water inAhe trees. The .most wholesale slaughter I have ever known ?of Wag out near Victor or Hesperia. [ did' know the ranther's name; he had last year' ?the only bearing 9r- chard in the community in which he lived, and killed one lhousand lana?ffers in one spring. That was not in my locality, but it seems so horrible I cannot refrain from telling it." I have no doubt from the letters I have re- eeived thatthis slaughter of the innocents goes on from year to year with more or less persist- ence according to local conditions. We may not be able to stop the shooting of marauding birds and perhaps it is not best to try to, for the farmer will usually shoot at the ones that pester him the most, but the Club should make a strong fight for a clause 'in the pro- posed law prohibiting the use of poisons which kill indiscriminately. FRANK S. I)AGGETT. Pasadena, Cal., Ocl. ?o, ?9oo. Are Blackbirds Injurious or Beneficial? EDITOR THE CONDOR: A note in connection with the recent bulle- tin of the Department of Agriculture on "The Food of Bobolinks, Blackbirds and Grackles" may prove interesting. Brewer's Blackbird is shown by i? to have eaten ?o per cent. of grain, mostly oats. As few oats are cultivated in California, they.must have been mostly wild oats, one of the wheat-groz,cr's greatest pests in most parts of the state. Brewer's Blackbird probes for wheat kernels of young grain and often destroys the wheat plant, but it is not as bad in this ?respect as the Western Meadow- lark. However, both species eat many grass- hoppers in a year and I cannot say that the:
