Clie ^lUDubon Societies 



EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT 



Edited by WILLIAM DUTCHER 



Address all correspondence, and send all remittances for dues and contributions, to 

 the National Association of Audubon Societies, 141 Broadway, New York City 



Legislation 



Federal. — The Weeks bill in Con- 

 gress, referred to in the February number 

 of Bird-Lore, did not get out of commit- 

 tee before the conclusion of the Si.xtieth 

 Congress, and, therefore, it must and will 

 be re-introduced at the commencement 

 of the Sixty-first Congress in December 

 next. 



The members of the National Asso- 

 ciation and the readers of Bird-Lore 

 throughout the country can do a great 

 deal of excellent missionary work in the 

 interim if they will see their Senators and 

 Representatives while they are at their 

 homes during the summer months, and 

 urge the passage of the Weeks bill. 



If all the migratory birds can be placed 

 in charge of the United States Department 

 of Agriculture, it will be a decided gain 

 in many ways, because uniform regula- 

 tions for their protection will be estab- 

 lished by the Federal authorities. 



After years of effort by the National 

 Association, it is found practically im- 

 possible to obtain uniform legislation 

 from state legislatures, and the only 

 practical way to get uniformity is through 

 a Federal statute. It is hoped, therefore, 

 that this matter will be taken up actively 

 during the summer months by all of the 

 readers of Bird-Lore. In addition to 

 getting uniform legislation and protection 

 for the migratory birds through the pas- 

 sage of the Weeks bill, it will relieve the 

 National Association of an enormous 

 amount of expenditure of money and 

 labor, and permit the Association to follow 

 more closely its legitimate line of work, 

 namely, education of the public regarding 

 the value of birds. 



The Association introduced on the first 

 day of the legislative session in New York 



state, a bill in the Assembly by the Hon- 

 orable James A. Francis. The object of 

 the bill is to amend Sections 98 and 241 

 of the Forest, Fish and Game Law of New 

 York state, by making them cover the 

 plumage of wild birds "irrespective of 

 where the said plumage comes from." 



This is, undoubtedly, the most important 

 {Tiece of legislation ever attempted by the 

 National Association in the state of New 

 York, and it is very desirable; in fact, it is 

 absolutely necessary in order that ade- 

 quate protection may be given to the non- 

 game birds of the state. The present law 

 only covers birds killed within the state 

 of New York, and a successful suit cannot 

 be maintained against the plumage of 

 wild birds brought into the state from 

 other places. 



A few years ago, the same condition 

 obtained in respect to the flesh of game 

 birds and animals, and the state authori- 

 ties found it impossible to give proper 

 protection to local game birds and ani- 

 mals while game could be brought in 

 from other states and countries. The state 

 law was corrected in this respect, and since 

 the passage of the amendment there has 

 been no difliculty in giving complete pro- 

 tection to game. The constitutionality of 

 this question has been absolutely settled, 

 not only by the Court of Appeals of the 

 state of New York, but by the Supreme 

 Court of the United States. 



The National Association and the sub- 

 committee on birds of the National Con- 

 servation Commission are simply asking 

 the Legislature of the state of New York, 

 through .\sscmbly bill No. 65, to place 

 l)lumage in the same advantageous po- 

 sition that the flesh of game birds and 

 animals now occupies. Until this weakness 

 in the New York law is corrected, it will 

 be impossible for satisfactory protection 



(98) 



