File:The American Museum journal (c1900-(1918)) (17538418924).jpg

Title: The American Museum journal
Identifier: americanmuseumjo16amer (find matches)
Year: c1900-(1918) (c190s)
Authors: American Museum of Natural History
Subjects: Natural history
Publisher: New York : American Museum of Natural History
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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Vagrant Cats in the United States MAN HAS KILLED OUT THE WILD NATIVE CATS IN THE EASTERN UNITED STATES, HAS PROHIBITED BY LAW THE IMPORTATION OF THE MONGOOSE AND OTHER NOXIOUS MAMMALS, IN ORDER TO PROTECT THE COUNTRY'S BIRDS AND OTHER WILD LIFE — YET HAS BY HIS OWN HAND INTRODUCED AS DESTRUCTIVE A SPECIES IN VASTLY LARGER NUMBERS Brief Review of a Recent Notable Publication i IT is largely on account of the dissension between cat lovers as such and those physicians, game protectors, and bird lovers who wish to see bounds put to the activities of cats, that the Board of Agricul- ture of the State of Massachusetts has issued a bulletin dealing with the cat and the best ways of utilizing and controlling it. The author of this bulletin, Mr. Edward Howe Forbush, State Ornithologist, has brought together in readable form a mass of informa- tion on the history, habits, and proclivities of cats, with opinions of experts, and records and observations of many cat owners and others, in order to establish the proper status of the domestic cat as a useful or harmful economic factor. The most impressive fact that first emerges in a study of this interesting vohime is one probably unknown to the majority of cat owners — namely, that unowned cats abound, literally in hundreds, not only around the towns and villages of New England, but also in the fields and forests in places far remote from human habitations. Cats are mainly nocturnal in their habits, and the large num- bers of wild house cats that roam the woods and fields escape general attention on this account, but the evidence collected by Mr. Forbush from many hunters, trappers, naturalists and other observers, leaves no doubt that these vagrant cats are widely distributed, very numerous , and that they constitute a serious menace to wild life. Under natural conditions the domestic cat is preyed upon by the puma, lynx and wild cat and also by dogs, foxes, wolves, ' Thk Domestic Cat: Bird Killer, Mouser and Destroyer op Wild Life.— Means of Utilizing AND Controlling It. Bulletin Number II, Economic Biology. By Edward Howe Forbush. Published by the Board of Agriculture of the State of Massachusetts, 1916. 326 raccoons, and by the golden eagle; but in New England today these enemies are rare ,^- J, 1 '^^^■■g ^ -iS^ 'fiw^^ fcr^^ ^4
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Ijuiir/v.'.y .;/ Massachas'lls State Hoard of Agriculture Vagabond house cat uifh robin. Many house and barn cats, expected to hunt for a living, make birds their staple diet.— Cats kill for the love of killing. This well-fed pet was known to kill fifty-eight birds in one year.— The bird-killing instinct is incurable. This cat has been "taught not to kill birds" by tying the victim under her chin, but she still kills them

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