The Audubon Societies 



123 



Tennessee 



Audubon Society work has been moving 

 forward rapidly in Tennessee, of late. 

 Dr. R. B. Maury, President of the West 

 Tennessee Audubon Society, has been 

 doing a large work among the schools of 

 Memphis. His efforts have been rewarded 

 by the organization of 60 Junior Audubon 

 Classes, containing in all 1,567 members. 

 Each child has paid a fee of ten cents, 

 and in return has received a Mockingbird 

 button and ten of the Association's leaf- 

 lets, with colored plates. The teacher at 

 the head of each class receives "Bird- 

 Lore," and certain leaflets especially 

 helpful to their bird work. 



The Legislature has recently passed a 

 law which prohibits the sale of robins. 

 This is a strong step toward robin pro- 

 tection, on which the Audubon Society 

 workers and State Game Warden Colonel 

 Joseph H. Acklen are to be congratulated. 

 — T. G. P. 



Destruction of Meadowlark in Georgia 



The following clipping appears in a 

 recent issue of a Georgia paper: 



"kill 11,000 FIELD LARKS." 



"Waycross, Ga., March 15. — A total of 

 11,231 Larks, enemies of corn, were killed 

 in a contest originated by farmers living 

 about Manor, this county. The contest 

 opened February i, and closed today. 



"The first prize, a purse of gold, which 

 farmers raised among themselves, was di- 

 vided among Dan Henderson, Tom James 

 and W. D. James. They killed 1,586." 



The above strikingly illustrates the 

 profound ignorance that still exists in 

 many sections of our country relative to 

 the economic status of some of our most 

 valuable feathered assistants. It also 

 emphasizes the possibilities opened to us 

 through the generosity of Mrs. Sage, in 

 contributing a special fund for educational 

 work in the bird-protection field in the 

 South. Georgia's illustration of ignorant 

 destruction of valuable birds is not unique 

 bv anv means, and it is not so manv vears 



ago that parallel cases were to be found in 

 some of our northern states. The change 

 in the public attitude of such states and 

 the development of public appreciation of 

 the value of birds is the direct result of a 

 systematic campaign of education, and 

 the results mentioned form an indication 

 of what may be hoped for in other sec- 

 tions of our country when the sinews of 

 war at our command permit us to carry 

 on a continued campaign of like character 

 in those localities. — T. G. P. 



A Statement in Support of the Present 

 Law Regarding Wild-fowl 



[Much valuable data has been accumu- 

 lated by Mr. E. H. Forbush, in his efforts 

 to prevent the opening up of spring shoot- 

 ing in Massachusetts and elsewhere in New 

 England. His arguments are so clear and 

 convincing that the subject matter of one 

 of his circular letters is reproduced here- 

 with.] 



The killing of all migratory birds should 

 stop at the end of the fall migration. 

 Fall shooting, if not excessive, does not 

 reduce the annual numbers of wild fowl; 

 they increase in numbers under well- 

 regulated fall shooting. Wild Ducks have 

 increased within the last few years in the 

 states and provinces where spring shoot- 

 ing is now prohibited, and already the 

 overflow of this increase is felt along the 

 Atlantic seaboard. 



Shooting in New England and the other 

 northern coast states after the ponds are 

 frozen allows unscrupulous or unthinking 

 gunners to take advantage of the fresh- 

 water Ducks, when, in severe seasons 

 they are half-starved and driven by hun- 

 ger and thirst to the open spring-holes, 

 where the gunners lie in wait for them 

 day or night. Non-diving, surface-feed- 

 ing Ducks, of which the Black Duck is 

 the principal New England species, are 

 obliged by necessity to go to these spring- 

 holes. Wild-fowl sometimes starve and 

 freeze to death in severe winters. In the 

 coldest weather, most Ducks will brave 

 death b\' shooting rather than endure 

 thirst or starvation. 



