148 



Bird -Lore 



into the Legislature at our request by 

 Senator Enos M. Jones, of Altoona. 



In its provisions this bill follows closely 

 the Audubon Plumage Law now in force 

 in the states of New York, New Jersey 

 and elsewhere. When, two years ago, the 

 New York law made it illegal for the 

 wholesale milliners of New York City to 

 continue their traffic in the feathers of 

 Egiets and other native wild birds, certain 

 enterprising concerns transferred this 

 branch of their business to Philadelphia. 

 From this point they have distributed 

 attractive booklets broadcast throughout 

 New York and elsewhere, and have since 

 been engaged in building up a mail-order 

 business. Should the Jones BiU become 

 a law, this diabolical business will be 

 driven from another one of its strong- 

 holds. 



On February i8th a hearing was given 

 on this bill in the Capitol building at 

 Harrisburg. The opposition was repre- 

 sented by its usual list of attorneys and 

 millinery feather dealers. Appearing in 

 support of the bill were Mr. Witmer 

 Stone, President of the Pennsylvania 

 Audubon Society; Dr. T. S. Palmer, 

 Assistant Chief of the United States 

 Biological Survey; Dr. William T. Horn- 

 aday, of the New York Zoological Society; 

 Mr. H. H. Surface, State Economic 

 Zoologist of Pennsylvania; and the Secre- 

 tary of the National Association. 



B. S. Bowdish, Chief Clerk in our New 

 York office, is now in charge of a branch 

 office which we have opened in Phila- 

 delphia from which, in cooperation with 

 Mr. Witmer Stone, he is directing the 

 work of a considerable office force in 

 circularizing the people of the state to 

 acquaint them with the character of this 

 bill and the necessity for its passage. 



The Association has also secured the 

 services of the Rev. Edward Frear, of 

 State College, Pa., who has been tra\'eling 

 all over the state in the interest of the 

 measure. 



The great point to be immediately 

 gained by the passage of this bill will, of 

 course, be the stopping of the sale of the 

 Heron Aigrettes in Pennsylvania. 



A bill to make it a misdemeanor to kill 

 an American Egret or a Snowy Egret, and 

 prohibiting "the purchase and sale of the 

 plumes or feathers of said birds," has been 

 introduced in the Michigan Legislature by 

 Mr. Jefferson Butler, President of the 

 Michigan Audubon Society. The bill 

 has already passed the Senate and we 

 have strong hopes that it will become 

 a law. 



A measure of the same character was 

 introduced in the Legislature of Indiana 

 but, after passing the House, was killed 

 in the Senate on the third reading. The 

 Secretary visited the State Capitol in 

 February and had interviews with many 

 of the Senators and Representatives with 

 reference to this proposed law. The bill 

 was lost because Illinois, an adjoining 

 state, did not have such a law. This 

 could have been successfully met had we 

 been financially able to conduct the neces- 

 sary wide campaign of publicity in the 

 state in order to overcome the activities 

 ot the millinery interests. 



In the matter of guarding the Egret 

 colonies in the southern states, it may be 

 mentioned that two wardens in South 

 Florida went on duty the 15th of March, 

 and at least a dozen additional agents in 

 Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and 

 North Carolina will take up their lonely 

 and dangerous vigils at Egret colonies 

 on the ist of April, and others will per- 

 haps be employed later. The number of 

 these wardens which the Association will 

 be able to support will, of course, be en- 

 tirely dependent upon the financial assist- 

 ance which the Association will be able 

 to secure. 



As previously mentioned, the Board of 

 Directors is very an.xious to have a fund of 

 $10,000 to expend in the general cause of 

 Egret protection for the year 19 13. The 

 splendid results of the Association's 

 efforts in this direction, the past two j^ears, 

 will surely justify the continued hearty 

 public support which the work has thus 

 far received. 



Below is given a list of the contributors 

 to the Egret Fund since the last issue of 

 Bird-Lore. 



