State Audubon Reports 297 



Financially, the history of the year is the same old tale. The Society will, 

 in fact, enter upon the new year with a large debt, in consideration of its 

 resources, as the legislative expenses, although shared by the National Associa- 

 tion, were very heavy. 



The regular work of the Society has gone on as usual. A large amount 

 of literature has been distributed; the first travehng library has been donated, 

 and eleven new local secretaries have been appointed. 



Last spring, the board of directors decided to try to raise $2,000 per year 

 to employ a field agent to canvass the state. The Society issued a strong 

 appeal, signed by the entire board of directors, setting forth the plan, and 

 urging cooperation in securing more sustaining members; also, an additional 

 class of contributing members, with dues of two dollars per year, was intro- 

 duced. The result was a few dollars more than the subscription of the previous 

 year. We now have only sixty-nine sustaining members, which is the main 

 support of the Society, aside from individual contributions, which naturally 

 vary from year to year. — Emma H. Lockwood, Secretary. 



North Carolina. — During the year, this Society has employed an active 

 force of fifty-seven game wardens. They have done much educational work, 

 such as distributing leaflets, purchased from the National Association, hand- 

 ing out booklets of the game laws, posting cloth 'Warning' notices, and pre- 

 paring various notices for the local press. Their influence in the prevention 

 of crime and in assisting to cultivate public sentiment for bird protection 

 has, without doubt, been their most important service to the state. Many 

 of them have found it necessary to bring prosecutions in the courts for vio- 

 lations of the statutes. A number of these cases were brought to successful 

 issue, persons having been convicted for such offences as killing the Cardinal, 

 Catbird, Nighthawk, and other non-game birds. Four men were fined for 

 killing Herons. It appeared that the birds were shot, not for their feathers, 

 but merely for the supposed pleasure to be derived from taking a large bird. 



This state probably contains more Bob-whites than any other Common- 

 wealth east of the Mississippi. There are a great many Quail preserves, and, 

 as a result, there are many thousands of bird-dogs in the country. In these 

 the hunting instinct is so strongly developed that they continue in many 

 instances to hunt by themselves during the close season. As they roam the 

 fields, they find and destroy many young Quail, as well as the nests of numer- 

 ous birds. There is therefore, a law in some counties which makes it a mis- 

 demeanor for owners of dogs of this class to allow them to run at large, 

 unmuzzled, during the birds' nesting-season. Ten owners of dogs have been 

 fined for not complying with this provision. There have been many convic- 

 tions of persons who have hunted or killed game birds and animals illegally. 

 In all, the wardens of the Audubon Society have successfully conducted one 

 hundred and thirty-three prosecutions. 



