Report of Secretary 265 



LEGISLATIVE WORK 



The legislation which has particularly claimed the attention of the Asso- 

 ciation during the past year has been a continuation of previous efforts to 

 suppress the traffic in the plumage of wild birds in New York state. A bill 

 was prepared and introduced at the Legislature early in January, intended 

 to restrict the sale of birds' feathers. 



For four successive years, attempts have been made to secure the enact- 

 ment of a statute which would meet these ends; but in every instance the oppo- 

 nents of the measure have been able to prevent favorable legislative action. 

 During the past year a wide and systematic campaign was conducted by the 

 National Association and the New York State Audubon Society in every 

 county of the state. This educational effort at length so thoroughly aroused 

 public interest that the legislature became aw^are that the people were strongly 

 for the bill and demanded its passage. For the first time, the Forest, Fish and 

 Game Commissioner was thoroughly in sympathy with the effort, and this 

 added great strength to the cause. 



Those dealers in millinery supplies whose business would be affected by 

 the passage of this bill were naturally very active in their opposition, and it 

 is generally understood that they provided large sums of money to employ 

 able counsel to defeat the measure. They also maintained a lobbyist at Albany 

 during most of the session of the legislature. After a most prolonged and 

 strenuous fight, the law was finally enacted. It reads as follows: 



"Sec. 98. Certain wild birds protected. Wild birds other than the English 

 Sparrow, Crow, Hawk, Crow Blackbird, Snow Owl, Great-horned Owl and 

 Kingfisher, shall not be taken or possessed at any time, dead or alive, except 

 under the authority of a certificate issued under this chapter. No part of the 

 plumage, skin or body of any bird protected by this section, or of any birds 

 coming from without the state, whether belonging to the same or different 

 species from that native to the state of New York, provided such birds belong 

 to the same family as those protected by this chapter, shall be sold or had 

 in possession for sale. The provision of this section shall not apply to game 

 birds for w'hich an open season is provided in this chapter, excepting that Quail, 

 English Pheasants and Hungarian Partridges shall not be taken at any time 

 to Richmond county prior to the year nineteen hundred and fourteen. 



"Section two hundred and forty of said act is hereby amended by adding 

 a new subdivision to said section, to be known as subdivision eighteen thereof, 

 and to read as follows: 



"i8. Plumage includes any part of the feathers, head, wings or tail of any 

 bird, and wherever the word occurs in this chapter reference is had equally 

 to plumage of birds coming from without the state as to that obtained within 

 the state; but it shall not be construed to apply to the feathers of Birds of 

 Paradise, Ostriches, domestic fowl, or domestic Pigeons." 



