224 



Bird - Lore 



stray cats. Three contests are under way for 

 the best Audubon bird pictures. Prizes will 

 be awarded in each of the three age divisions." 



Fresno (Calif.) Republican. 



"Birds winging their way northward this 

 spring are finding 175,000 new houses built 

 for them during the past year by boys and 

 girls who are members of the 65,000 Junior 

 Audubon Clubs scattered over the entire 

 United States and parts of Canada. These 

 youths are among the 1,500,000 members of 

 the organization planted in kindergartens, 

 grammar schools, and among groups of young 

 Americans by the National Audubon Society. 

 Each Club Member after paying 10 cents as 

 an initiation fee, starts acquiring knowledge 

 of the appearances and habits of both song- 

 sters and the unmusical t>'pes of birds. 

 Through picture books and hikes to wood- 

 land spots the\- learn to distinguish one kind 

 of bird from another by the kind of feathery 

 clothes they wear, and how also to tell them 

 by their eggs, their nests, and sometimes by 

 their chirps. The migratory habits and the 

 singing qualities or lack of them in each 

 species form other phases of instruction. 

 Game laws of state and of the nation are ex- 

 plained, but none of the teachers or lecturers 

 sent out by the national organization ever 

 says to little Willie, 'You must not kill the 

 pretty birdies.' Officials of the organization's 

 headquarters here declare they are striving to 

 conserve bird-life, not by having more 

 stringent laws passed against hunters, but by 

 interesting children in the birds so that they 

 lose all desire to use them in tests for marks- 

 manship with sling-shots, air-guns, or light 

 rifles. Careless hunters have found the club 

 members uncomfortably observant of those 

 who they suspect are bagging more than the 

 limit, or shooting out of season. Recently 

 the Association received a letter from a 

 sportsman saying there were 'four hundred 

 young volunteer game-wardens in his city 

 exerting a restraining influence upon tricky 

 hunters.' " 



Qiiincy (Mass.) Ledger. 



"There are many indications to those in- 

 terested that the Junior Audubon Society is 

 bearing a valuable return in the thoughtful- 

 ness shown by the young folk as regards the 

 birds and other living creatures. One party 

 of boys on a sidewalk was overheard lately to 

 discuss at some length the characteristics of 

 a bird they had observed, there being some 

 controversy in regard to its name. Several 

 years ago these boys would much more likely 

 have been engaged in a hand-to-hand scutTIe; 

 or it might be trying their aim at the very 

 bird itself, to see which could end its life. 

 Having made bird-houses and had their at- 

 tention called in an interesting manner to the 

 beauty and needs of the little Warbler, they 



are now among its best friends. One former 

 member of the local society has been giving 

 bird-talks this past season, and interesting 

 other young folk in caring for the needs of 

 the songsters, and in this way the good work 

 has been passed on. 



" 'Birds are Friends,' was the slogan yes- 

 terday at the exhibition of the Junior Audu- 

 bon Society being held this week in Wollaston 

 School Hall, under the auspices of the Edu- 

 cation Committee of the Wollaston Parent- 

 Teachers Association. A lively crowd of over 

 500 boys and girls from the Wollaston schools 

 assembled at 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon 

 to see the display and hear the address, and 

 a large amount of interest and enthusiasm 

 was manifested. It is evident that birds are 

 truly friends to these young residents and 

 that moreover they are considerably ac- 

 quainted with their habits and needs. The 

 display is interesting and instructive, calling 

 attention to the care and interest of human 

 beings in the presers'ation of our feathered 

 songsters who come here each spring to make 

 the world happier and to do their part in 

 helping toward the productiveness of the 

 country, through their zeal in behalf of in- 

 sects and worms. 



"On the platform, trees with bare branches 

 showed the nesting of the various birds and 

 also the needs in winter for a supply of food 

 when the earth is covered with snow. Dif- 

 ferent departments of the display illustrated 

 different phases of the bird proposition. Their 

 needs, their natural tendencies, and what 

 may be done towards their preservation — 

 books and views illustrated these subjects, 

 and posters drawn by pupils of the various 

 grades showed much originality and thought- 

 fulness on the subject of birds and animals. 

 Some of these posters were in hand drawings 

 by the young artists, and others were done in 

 views clipped from periodicals, to illustrate 

 the subjects chosen, much intuition being 

 manifested in the choice of illustrations. 

 There was an exhibit of mounted birds, and 

 samples of the eggs and nests. The display 

 of bird-houses made by those interested in 

 birds in the city showed a wide variety of 

 ideas as to the artistic and utilitarian. The 

 exhibit as a whole was of an educational 

 interest and of much credit to those asso- 

 ciated. Mrs. Jesse V. Stevens, leader of the 

 Junior Audubon Society, was in charge, with 

 the able cooperation of Princii)al David 

 CJoodspead, of the Wollaston schools, and the 

 teachers who contributed a generous interest 

 in its welfare. 



"Winthrop Packard, of Boston, agent for 

 the National .Vssociation of .\udubon Socie- 

 ties, gave an address on 'Birds, Their Needs 

 and Habits,' in which the members of the 

 young audience were much interested, and 

 manifested their enthusiasm." 



