Reports of Field Agents 405 



active corresponding secretary and treasurer of the Association, has stirred up 

 an ever-increasing interest in the work. Bird-banding always increases the 

 interest in the living bird. Bird-banders, of necessity, become bird-protection- 

 ists. Each one soon finds it necessary to be on the alert against the many 

 enemies of birds if he would be successful in trapping and banding them. If 

 he attempts merely to band fledgelings, he must protect the nests so far as 

 possible, and is soon led to erect bird-houses for the better accommodation and 

 protection of certain species. The bird-banding movement, therefore, is one 

 that the National Association should encourage throughout the land. 



REPORT OF WINTHROP PACKARD, FIELD AGENT FOR 



MASSACHUSETTS 



The Audubon Society offices, at 66 Newbury Street, Boston, occupied 

 jointly by the Massachusetts agent of the National Association and the State 

 Society, have teemed with activities throughout the year. The chief cares of 

 your agent are threefold: First, to find members for the Association, both life 

 and sustaining; second, to push the work of the Junior Classes in Bird-study 

 throughout the schools of the state; third, to continually place before the 

 public the needs not only of the Association but of the birds themselves. All 

 these are great and worthy ends and for them we labor unceasingly. Your 

 agent has been in correspondence with every school superintendent and teacher 

 in the state concerning the use of the leaflets and the formation of Junior 

 bird-study classes in the schools. As many schools as possible are visited 

 each year and the Junior Club plan is explained to teachers and pupils in 

 ten-minute talks. 



A generous appropriation from the home office last spring made it possible 

 to engage two trained assistants for this work, thus making it much more 

 effective. Your agent finds that almost invariably the children receive the 

 opportunity gladly and are eager to take advantage of it: many teachers also, 

 but there is still great need of missionary work among others, and there are 

 still superintendents, especially in large cities, who are not willing to give time 

 to bird-study. One way of reaching them is through the general enlightenment 

 which the public still needs in regard to bird-study and bird-protection. This 

 work is being pushed at the Boston office through the press, lectures, exhibi- 

 tions, assistance in legislature, and individual action in all possible ways. 



