Bird - Lore 



received by Senators and Congressmen in 

 Washington. When legislative matters of 

 National value are pending in Congress, it is 

 of the greatest importance that friends of 

 such measures should register their desire for 

 speedy and favorable action. Our National 



Representatives are human, just like the rest 

 of us, and naturally are influenced by public 

 sentiment. It is right that they should be so 

 influenced, for they were elected to repre- 

 sent us and usually do so if we but make 

 our voices heard. 



NEW JERSEY LEGISLATION 



The present ression of the Legislature of New 

 Jersey certainly established a new record for 

 indifference in the matter of wild-life conser- 

 vation. One year ago, a bill introduced at 

 the request of the New Jersey Audubon 

 Society, and pushed by that organization, for 

 the purpose of taking the Bobolink off of the 

 game-bird list and giving it protection, be- 

 came a law. This did not please some people 

 who wanted the pleasure of shooting these 

 song-birds in autumn and enjoying their 

 diminutive bodies on toast, so the Legislature 

 this year proceeded to repeal the bill and the 

 Governor gave it his approval. 



The subject of legislation to restrict the 

 number of vagrant cats has also been before 

 this honorable body. Two bills were intro- 

 duced, one by the State Board of Fish and 

 Game Commissioners and the other by the 

 New Jersey Audubon Society. The Com- 

 missioners' bill paseed both Houses and was 



vetoed by the Governor as "sumptuary 

 legislation." The New Jersey Audubon 

 Society's cat bill passed the House and at the 

 present time is reposing in the Senate Com- 

 mittee where it may be expected to remain 

 until the close of the session. This Legis- 

 lature is also considering the advisability 

 of putting a bounty of 10 cents on all Crows 

 killed in the state. The fate of this measure 

 is yet uncertain. 



Another bill was introduced to take pro- 

 tection from the Kingfisher. This passed the 

 House of Representatives and is now pending 

 in the Senate, with a good chance of becoming 

 a law. 



Fortunately, the general attitude of the 

 present session of the New Jersey Legislature 

 toward wild-life conservation is not typical 

 of that entertained by most state legislatures 

 meeting this year, for many good laws 

 were enacted. 



BIRD-BOX CONTESTS 



This is the season when contests in building 

 bird-boxes are in full operation throughout 

 the country. The annual contest provided 

 by the Pittsburgh Chronicle-Telegraph closed 

 early in March, with an unusually large 

 number of competitors. Many hundreds of 

 splendid, useful bird-boxes were constructed 

 and will be erected in the neighborhood of 

 Pittsburgh. 



Many of the Audubon Societies and Junior 

 Clubs are engaged in the same work. Mrs. 

 C. Oliver Iselin, one of the active and loyal 

 members of the National Association, has 

 offered prizes for bird-boxes to be built by the 

 young people of Aiken, S. C, near which her 



winter home is situated. One set of six 

 prizes is to be offered to boys, and another 

 series is open to girl competitors. 



From all parts of the country we have been 

 receiving requests for information as to how 

 to conduct contests of this character and 

 suggestions as to lists of suitable prizes that 

 may be furnished. This work of supplying 

 nesting-places for the birds that in spring 

 wing their way northward is becoming well 

 established in hundreds of communities. 

 Some of us can remember the time when a 

 movement of this character was an unheardof 

 enterprise. The country is constantly grow- 

 ing better for wild bird life. 



