The Audubon Societies 



65 



the say///j^'- was all it cost. Also, no so- 

 ciety succeeds that bores people into join- 

 ing it. Remember that no matter how 

 near one's own heart a project may be, 

 we have no right to force it upon others. 

 We have no right to take people by the 

 throat, so to speak, to make them pause 

 and listen, but setting a high standard, 

 holding out a helping hand and making 

 the way attractive to those who wish to 

 reach it is a different thing, and is the 

 only sane policy under which Audubon 

 Societies can be conducted. One word to 

 you who wish to see the societies 

 flourish, who love birds, but are shy 

 and retiring, and do not care to commit 

 yourselves to joining anything. You may 

 safely join the cause in spirit by sending a 

 nice little check to the treasurer of your 

 local state society. Piers Plowman dis- 

 covered long ago that he couldn't " spede " 

 far without money, neither can the Audu- 

 bon Societies. — M. O. W. 



I 



A Letter from Governor Roosevelt 



At the annual meeting of the New York 

 State Audubon Society, held in the Ameri- 

 can Museum of Natural History on March 

 23, i8gg, a letter was read from Governor 

 Roosevelt, which is of such interest and 

 importance .that we print it in advance of 

 a report of the meeting, which will appear 

 in a future issue. 



Governor Roosevelt regretted his in- 

 ability to be present, and addressed the 

 following letter to Mr. Frank M. Chap- 

 man, Chairman of the Executive Com- 

 mittee : 



My dear ]\/r. Oiapjnan : — 



I need hardly say how heartily I sym- 

 pathize with the purposes of the Audubon 

 Society. I would like to see all harmless 

 wild things, but especially all birds, pro- 

 tected in every way. I do not understand 

 how any man or woman who really loves 

 nature can fail to try to exert all influence 

 in support of such objects as those of the 

 Audubon Society. 



Spring would not be spring without 

 bird songs, any more than it would be 



spring without buds and flowers, and I 

 only wish that besides protecting the 

 songsters, the birds of the grove, the 

 orchard, the garden and the meadow, we 

 could also protect the birds of the sea 

 shore and of the wilderness. 



The Loon ought to be, and, under wise 

 legislation, could be a feature of every 

 Adirondack lake ; Ospreys, as every one 

 knows, can be made the tamest of the 

 tame, and Terns should be as plentiful 

 along our shores as Swallows around our 

 barns. 



A Tanager or a Cardinal makes a point 

 of glowing beauty in the green woods, 

 and the Cardinal among the white snows. 



When the Bluebirds were so nearly 

 destroyed by the severe winter a few 

 seasons ago, the loss was like the loss of 

 an old friend, or at least like the burning 

 down of a familiar and dearly loved 

 house. How immensely it would add to 

 our forests if only the great Logcock were 

 still found among them ! 



The destruction of the Wild Pigeon 

 and the Carolina Paroquet has meant a 

 loss as severe as if the Catskills or the 

 Palisades were taken away. When I 

 hear of the destruction of a species I feel 

 just as if all the works of some great 

 writer had perished ; as if we had lost all 

 instead of only part of Polybius or Livy. 

 Very truly yours, 



Theodore Roosevelt. 



Reports of Societies 



PENNSYLVANIA SOCIETY 



The Audubon Society of Pennsylvania 

 was organized in October, 1896, and was 

 the first society to follow the admirable 

 example set by Massachusetts. During 

 the first year 2,200 members were enrolled 

 and nearly 30,000 circulars distributed. 

 The first annual report was sent out in 

 November, 1897, and it mentions a ' Hat 

 Show, ' and a course of lectures to be given 

 in Philadelphia during the spring. Both 

 of these were carried out with marked suc- 

 cess, the ' Hat Show ' attracting much 

 attention to the work of the society, and 



