204 BIRD FRIENDS 



unchanged. When the matter finally came to the 

 Democratic caucus, it rejected the report of the Sen- 

 ate Committee and adopted the House provision 

 prohibiting the importation of the plumage of wild 

 birds except for scientific and educational purposes. 

 This was later adopted by the Senate. 



National Bird Reservations. On March 14, 1903, 

 President Roosevelt issued the following order: — 



It is hereby ordered that Pelican Island in Indian River, 

 Florida, is reserved and set apart for the use of the De- 

 partment of Agriculture as a preserve and breeding- 

 ground for native birds. 



Thus was the first National Bird Refuge set aside 

 and a government policy was then initiated which 

 has since been expanded into a system of many bird 

 refuges. The need of such reservations was first 

 brought to the attention of President Roosevelt by 

 the National Association of Audubon Societies, 

 some of whose members had noticed the needless 

 destruction of birds on these islands. 



As the question was raised as to whether the 

 President had power to set aside such reservations, 

 a little later a bill was enacted by Congress giving 

 the President authority to establish reservations of 

 this character on government lands not fitted for 

 agriculture. Most of these are situated on small, 

 rocky islands or on tracts of marsh land of no value 

 to man. These reservations vary in size from two 

 acres (Hog Island, Wisconsin, the home of a colony 



