Deuteronomy xxxii 6-7.--"If a bird's nest chance to be before
thee in the way, in any tree, or on the ground, young ones or
eggs, and the dam sitting upon the young, or upon the eggs,
thou shalt not take the dam with the young. But thou shalt in
anywise let the dam go, that it may be well with thee, and that
thou may prolong thy days."
It is said that the following petition was instrumental in securing the
adoption in Massachusetts of a law prohibiting the wearing of song and
insectivorous birds on women's hats. It is stated that the interesting
document was prepared by United States Senator Hoar. The foregoing verse
of Scripture might have been quoted by the petitioning birds to
strengthen their position before the lawmakers:
"TO THE GREAT AND GENERAL COURT OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS:
We, the song birds of Massachusetts and their playfellows, make this our
humble petition. We know more about you than you think we do. We know
how good you are. We have hopped about the roofs and looked in at the
windows of the houses you have built for poor and sick and hungry
people, and little lame and deaf and blind children. We have built our
nests in the trees and sung many a song as we flew about the gardens and
parks you have made so beautiful for your children, especially your poor
children, to play in. Every year we fly a great way over the country,
keeping all the time where the sun is bright and warm. And we know that
whenever you do anything the other people all over this great land
between the seas and the great lakes find it out, and pretty soon will
try to do the same. We know. We know.
"We are Americans just the same as you are. Some of us, like some of
you, came across the great sea. But most of the birds like us have lived
here a long while; and the birds like us welcomed your fathers when they
came here many, many years ago. Our fathers and mothers have always
done their best to please your fathers and mothers.
"Now we have a sad story to tell you. Thoughtless or bad people are
trying to destroy us. They kill us because our feathers are beautiful.
Even pretty and sweet girls, who we should think would be our best
friends, kill our brothers and children so that they may wear our
plumage on their hats. Sometimes people kill us for mere wantonness.
Cruel boys destroy our nests and steal our eggs and our young ones.
People with guns and snares lie in wait to kill us; as if the place for
a bird were not in the sky, alive, but in a shop window or in a glass
case. If this goes on much longer all our song birds will be gone.
Already we are told in some other countries that used to be full of
birds they are now almost gone. Even the Nightingales are being killed
in Italy.
"Now we humbly pray that you will stop all this and will save us from
this sad fate. You have already made a law that no one shall kill a
harmless song bird or destroy our nests or our eggs. Will you please
make another one that no one shall wear our feathers, so that no one
shall kill us to get them? We want them all ourselves. Your pretty girls
are pretty enough without them. We are told that it is as easy for you
to do it as for a blackbird to whistle.
"If you will, we know how to pay you a hundred times over. We will
teach your children to keep themselves clean and neat. We will show
them how to live together in peace and love and to agree as we do in
our nests. We will build pretty houses which you will like to see. We
will play about your garden and flowerbeds--ourselves like flowers on
wings--without any cost to you. We will destroy the wicked insects and
worms that spoil your cherries and currants and plums and apples and
roses. We will give you our best songs, and make the spring more
beautiful and the summer sweeter to you. Every June morning when you go
out into the field, Oriole and Bluebird and Blackbird and Bobolink will
fly after you, and make the day more delightful to you. And when you go
home tired after sundown Vesper Sparrow will tell you how grateful we
are. When you sit down on your porch after dark, Fifebird and Hermit
Thrush and Wood Thrush will sing to you; and even Whip-poor-will will
cheer you up a little. We know where we are safe. In a little while all
the birds will come to live in Massachusetts again, and everybody who
loves music will like to make a summer home with you."
The singers are:
Brown Thrasher, King Bird,
Robert o'Lincoln, Swallow,
Vesper Sparrow, Cedar Bird,
Hermit Thrush, Cow-bird,
Robin Redbreast, Martin,
Song Sparrow, Veery,
Scarlet Tanager, Vireo,
Summer Redbird, Oriole,
Blue Heron, Blackbird,
Humming Bird, Fifebird,
Yellow-bird, Wren,
Whip-poor-will, Linnet,
Water Wagtail, Pewee,
Woodpecker, Phoebe,
Pigeon Woodpecker, Yoke Bird,
Indigo Bird, Lark,
Yellow Throat, Sandpiper,
Wilson's Thrush, Chewink.
Chickadee,