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Bird -Lore 



PENNSYLVANIA SOCIETY 



The Pennsylvania Audubon Society has 

 been actively eno;aged during the past year, 

 both in furthering the general interest in 

 bird study and bird protection in this state, 

 and in lending its aid to more widespread 

 efforts in the same direction. The fact that 

 our president, Mr. Witmer Stone, is also 

 chairman of the A. O. U. Committee on 

 Protection of North American Kinls, has 

 brought the society into close connection 

 with several of the most important move- 

 ments towards bird protection that have 

 been undertaken during the year. Foremost 

 among these was the Lacey Act. From the 

 start, the Pennsylvania Society took an 

 active part in urging the members of Con- 

 gress from this state to support the measure, 

 and the fact that Pennsylvania cast a larger 

 vote for the bill than any other state and not 

 one vote against it, speaks well for our suc- 

 cess. The society was also represented in 

 the effort to protect the Gulls and Terns of 

 the Atlantic coast during the nesting season 

 of 1900, the New Jersey colonies being 

 under the care of our treasurer, Mr. Wm. 

 L. Baily, whose very successful work is 

 described in the report in the January num- 

 ber of ' The Auk.' Our society was also 

 active early in the present year in arousing 

 opposition to the killing of Blackbirds in 

 Delaware for millinery purposes. Circulars 

 were distributed throughout the state which 

 attracted much attention and resulted in the 

 abandonment of the slaughter and also in 

 the organization of the Delaware Audubon 

 Society. 



During the }ear our membership has in- 

 creased to over 6,000, and seven local sec- 

 retaries have been appointed, while several 

 local clubs for bird study have been organ- 

 ized. This is one of the most important 

 features of our society, and we cannot too 

 strongly urge those interested to volunteer 

 their services in furthering local organiza- 

 tions of this sort. 



About 8,000 circulars of various kinds 

 were issued during the year, including an 

 abstract of the state bird laws printed on 

 heavy cardboard suitable for hanging in 

 post offices, reading-rooms, etc. 



Through the kindness of one of the 



directors, the society has been enabled to 

 purchase a small library and a set of colored 

 pictures of common birds, which have been 

 circulated among country schools to aid the 

 teachers in conducting Bird Day exercises. 



On June i, the teachers of the vacation 

 schools of Philadelphia were invited to meet 

 the directors of the society at the Academy 

 of Natural Sciences and were addressed by 

 Mr. Witmer Stone on the subject of bird 

 study in city schools, while the collection of 

 Pennsylvania birds and nests in the museum 

 was explained to them. 



On January 5, 1901, the annual meeting 

 of the society was held at the Academy of 

 Natural Sciences. The attendance was very 

 large and the interest in the proceedings was 

 marked. After the transaction of routine 

 business, Mr. Stone made an address on 

 ' Bird Protection in America During 

 1900'; Mr. George Spencer Morris fol- 

 lowed with an illustrated paper on ' Our 

 Winter Birds,' and Mr. Wm. L. Baily 

 concluded the program with a talk on 

 ' Bird Study With the Camera,' illustrated 

 by lantern slides of birds and nests from 

 nature. 



The old board of directors was reelected 

 for the ensuing year. 



JuLi.A Stockton Robins, Secretary. 



The Baltimore Gull Case 



The confiscation of 2,600 Gulls found in 

 the possession of Dumont & Co., of Balti- 

 more, has been followed by the indictment 

 by the grand jury of the manager of this 

 firm, and the case to determine whether they 

 are liable to the fine of from one to five 

 dollars for each bird will probably come up 

 in February. 



Proposed New Bird Laws 



Efforts are being, or will be made to im- 

 prove the bird laws of Maine, Connecticut, 

 New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Vir- 

 ginia, North Carolina, Florida and Cali- 

 fornia, and it is hoped that BiRD-LoRE 

 readers will use their influence to make 

 these efforts successful. 



Further details may be learned, as they 

 are developed, from William Dutcher, 525 

 Manhattan Ave., New York city. 



