Bird Clubs 271 



somewhat wider scope, may contain some helpful 

 suggestions. 



Some readers may ask, "Why is it necessary 

 to organize a bird club? Why cannot each 

 person help the birds as much as he or she likes 

 without going to the trouble of calling and at- 

 tending meetings, and to the expense of paying 

 dues?" I would say that just as the United 

 States is stronger and better than a lot of sepa- 

 rate and independent states would be, so in a 

 small way a bird club is stronger and better 

 than a number of independent bird lovers. No 

 matter how hard a particular person in a town 

 may have worked for the birds, when he joins a 

 bird club and compares notes with his fellow- 

 members at a club meeting, he is sure to find 

 that some of them have good ideas or suggestions 

 which had not occurred to him and which he 

 can make use of, while he, in turn, is sure to have 

 had experiences which none of the other members 

 have had and which they will be very glad to 

 profit by. In this way each member, instead 

 of having just his own ideas to help him, will 

 have the ideas of everybody in the club. Then, 

 there will be certain desirable things like the 

 posting of land against gunners, the protecting 

 of property against fire, the establishment of a 

 public bird sanctuary, the passing of a law or 



