State Audubon Reports 377 



The immediate, urgent work before the Society for the coming year is 

 the perfecting of a program of bird-study for the Associate and Junior Members, 

 and the building up of membership. — Beecher S. Bowdish, Secretary. 



New York — It is with much regret that the report of the New York 

 Society is presented necessarily incomplete, this year. Owing to my recent 

 return, after four months' absence, the reports of the work accomplished dur- 

 ing the summer by the Local Secretaries have not been received. As at pres- 

 ent registered, however, the membership is 12,940. 



The vagaries of the Ne^v York Legislature took a much worse form than 

 usual, this past year, when the Levy bill and the bill to repeal the Anti-spring- 

 Duck-shooting Law threatened to undo the work for bird protection which 

 Mr. Butcher's noble efforts, during many years, had laboriously built up. 

 Happily, both these bills were defeated, and Senator Bayne's Bill, prohibit- 

 ing the sale within the state of all game, except that imported from foreign 

 countries or raised on domestic game farms (which must be properly labeled),, 

 was successful. Thus the year's record in regard to legislation is one of decided 

 gain. The campaign was conducted by the National Association of Audubon 

 Societies, but the issue was so vital a one that it called forth the most earnest 

 efiforts on the part of all members of the Audubon Society, and of all associa- 

 tions interested in game or animal protection throughout the state. 



Since July i, 191 1, the Shea- White Audubon Plumage Law has been in 

 effect, and the traffic in aigrettes is, at last, illegal in the state of New York. 



Financially this has been an unusual year for the Society. A much-inter- 

 ested member, who is also an enterprising Local Secretary, made a donation 

 of five hundred dollars to the Society, and from one of the patrons one hundred 

 dollars has been received. 



The local conditions vary greatly in so large a state as New York, but the 

 good work of many faithful secretaries has been continued, from the quiet 

 efforts among personal friends to the wider field of lecturing before clubs, 

 meetings of Grangers and teachers' institutes. 



The Society has been particularly fortunate this year in the appointment 

 of a number of new Local Secretaries; one is connected with a Normal School 

 from which one hundred and twenty-five teachers graduate annually; another, 

 with a car at her command, visits systematically all the schools within a 

 wide radius. 



The necessity of maintaining the interest among the Junior members 

 has always been emphasized. The methods employed by different teachers 

 are interesting. In addition to the use of the leaflets, lectures, lantern-slides, 

 coloring of the outlines and recording observations of the birds, the winter 

 feeding-places are put in charge of the children. The boys are made special 

 wardens, to guard the nests and the law posters; they are taught to make bird- 

 houses, to be put up near the school in the spring; and one city school reports 



