ORNITHOLOGY 



211 



by. We had man}- of these birds around 

 us every season but this one sang' the 

 most beautiful song I ever heard from 

 any of them. After father had Hstened 

 for a while he went down to the garden 

 at some distance from the house. The 

 bird followed him and, as he sat on a 

 bench under a large plum tree, perched 

 just above his head and repeated its song. 

 Again the bird followed him to the house 

 and continued the song as long as he sat 

 on the porch to listen. This performance 

 was continued for weeks. Friends visiting 

 us quickly noticed and remarked not only 

 on the bird's charming song but its un- 

 usual devotion to father. This was the 

 last year of my father's life. The next 

 season I was far away. I do not know 

 if that bird ever again returned. 



Another remarkable incident occurred 

 while I was spending a summer in north- 

 ern Vermont. One evening, while sitting 

 with some friends under a tree close to 

 the house, a hermit thrush perched in full 

 view and began his song. I had never 

 before heard a hermit thrush and was de- 

 lighted by this opportunity. One of my 

 friends, however, expressed great sur- 

 prise, saying that the hermit thrush is a 

 shy bird, heard only in retired places. 

 This one had an unusually fine voice. 

 I spoke of my experience with gifted 

 singers and proposed that we all return 

 to the house to ascertain if this bird would 

 continue its song. We did so but the 

 bird immediately flew away. The next 

 morning my friend took me to a grove at 

 a distance from the village, where a num- 

 ber of hermit thrushes had their nests. 

 Several were singing but we could not 

 mistake the voice of our visitor. He was 

 a perfect Caruso among his fellow 

 musicians. Great was my delight when 

 some evenings later, as we were again 

 seated under the same tree, that thrush 

 came and from the topmost bough poured 

 out his exquisite melody through the long 

 June twilight, perfectly conscious of his 

 human audience. 



White Pines. 



Stateliest trees in the forest, 



Monarchs of all they survey, 

 Silvered with age in the moonlight. 

 Buoyant with youth in the day. 



— Emma Peirce. 



The Migratory Bird Law Sustained. 



The recent successful campaign of 

 The Audubon Society in defeating the 

 proposed amendments to the Migratory 

 Bird law, so that spring shooting might 

 be permitted in the breeding zone of 

 wild fowl and other game birds, is a 

 cause of much rejoicing among friends 

 of the birds. They are now campaign- 

 ing for the ratification of the treaty 

 wdiich will extend protection under the 

 federal law for all migratory birds 

 throughout entire North America north 

 of Mexico, and also the passage of an 

 Enabling Act by Congress with appropri- 

 ations for the enforcement of the same. 

 This treaty has already been ratified by 

 the United States Senate, and should set- 

 tle once for all the question of a con- 

 stitutional right of the Federal Govern- 

 ment to enact laws for the protection of 

 migratory birds. The treaty had been 

 previously ratified by the Canadian Gov- 

 ernment. 



Bitter attempts have been made during 

 the past year to nullify this law by claim- 

 ing that it was unconstitutional, but it 

 has been generally sustained and upward 

 of two hundred violaters have been pros- 

 ecuted in the courts. An appropriation 

 of Fifty Thousand Dollars for the en- 

 forcement of the law was almost unani- 

 mously carried by the Senate after a fair 

 presentation of the matter was brought 

 to their attention. There are still, how- 

 ever, many enemies of bird protection, 

 and further attempts by men of influence 

 and wealth are looked for to secure the 

 passage of acts or amendments which 

 will ofifset the good already accomplished 

 by this law. 



It is hoped that all friends of the birds 

 will now make a final rally to the sup- 

 port of these protective measures and se- 

 cure for all time the sane and reasonable 

 protection, which for our own interests 

 should have been secured many years 

 ago, and which even now will repay us 

 many fold in the practical and aesthetic 

 value of an increase of useful birds 

 throughout the country. 



Two different companies that have 

 tried to utilize the peat in the great bogs 

 of Wisconsin, have failed to compete 

 with coal and have gone under. 



