Reports of Field Agents 401 



Carolina. Many of the weekly papers have contained articles from farmers, 

 demanding better protection to insect-eating birds. This has been called forth 

 by a crop-destruction without parallel in the two states. The hay crop and 

 the late corn crop are both total failures, due to an invasion of Laphygma 

 frugiperda. A mite known locally as "the red spider" has devastated thou- 

 sands of acres of cotton. The pine bark beetle (Dendroctonus frontalis) has 

 destroyed the greater part of the pines west of Columbia and is still at work. 



These, among other things, have thoroughly aroused the farmers of South 

 Carolina; and Georgia is attacked by all these pests, with also an invasion or 

 outbreak of the mole cricket {Gryllotalpa borealis), which has proved disas- 

 trous to grain and to early corn. 



In a normal condition of the public mind, action would be instant. Even 

 as it is, the governor of South Carolina, bitterly hostile during the past winter 

 (he vetoed the appropriation for the chief game-warden on the ground that 

 the work was "interference with the God-given rights of the people") has 

 announced several times on the stump that he favored the protection 

 of birds. 



Much has been said and written; much is still being said and written on 

 the subject of staving off the evil to come by prompt and drastic bird-protec- 

 tion; but what had been done has been the saving so far of the Egret rookeries, 

 insomuch that the birds have multiplied, and along with that work had been 

 the constant spreading abroad of knowledge of birds. 



I have been severely handicapped by the governor's veto last winter, 

 but this never led to even a moment's consideration of letting uj). The assist- 

 ance extended by the National Association of Audubon Societies kept the 

 work alive in South Carolina. 



The South is white for harvest. My experience is that people are more than 

 willing to hear the gospel of bird-protection preached. Ignorance is wide- 

 spread still, however. The chancellor of one of the leading southern universi- 

 ties (not in South Carolina) asked me last year if the Association took its name 

 from Audubon because he {Audubon) had left money to it! He expressed himself 

 willing to know something of Audubon. 



With constant educational w^ork, done consistently throughout the year, 

 the South would liberally contribute to the work of the Association. But the 

 work must be done thoroughly and patiently. 



I trust these observations may not be considered irrelevant. They are 

 given with utmost seriousness on a grave case. A fight will be carried right 

 up to the South Carolina General Assembly and thiough it. Letters and 

 newspaper articles are going out every day now. Many lectures will be given, 

 and, if possible, I shall address the coming General Assembly — a newly elected 

 one. 



A bill providing a resident hunters' license passed the Senate last session 

 by a vote of 28 to 8, and this bill comes up for consideration in the lower House 



