The Audubon Societies 



139 



BIRDS AND THE COLD SPELL 



On the morning of February 5, 1916, 

 there was received at the office of the 

 National Association the following tele- 

 gram: 



"The State Game Warden, Topeka, 

 Kansas, reports his state covered with 

 three to nine inches of sleet and ice. Birds 

 starving by wholesale. State organizing 

 campaign for food. Can you assist? 

 Immediate action necessary. E. W. Nel- 

 son, Acting Chief, Biological Survey." 



We immediately telegraphed to the State 

 Game Warden of Kansas offering $200 

 for the purchase of grain. Shortly after- 

 ward the following telegram was received 

 from Honorable Carlos Avery, State 

 Game Commissioner of Minnesota: 



"Conditions critical for Quail on account 

 of unprecedented depth of snow and 

 extreme cold. Funds insufficient to care 

 for them adequately. Can you include 

 Minnesota for appropriation for this 

 purpose?" 



This second call for help, together with 

 word received from other directions, 

 indicated that the snow and ice-cap had 

 extended generally over a number of the 

 northern states of the Middle West. W^e 

 at once wired to the officials of some of the 

 organizations in several of these states, 

 and also sent telegrams to thirty-five 

 members of the Association, telling them of 

 the situation and asking for contributions 

 to be used in the purchase and distribution 

 of food for the birds. Many of the mem- 

 bers immediately responded, and in a 

 remarkably short time we had collected 

 and telegraphed to the Cleveland Bird- 

 Lovers' Association S200, to the President 

 of the South Dakota State College $200, 

 and to the ^Minnesota Game Commission 

 $600. 



We also telegraphed the Postmaster 

 General in Washington asking that rural 

 mail-carriers in Minnesota, Kansas, and 

 Nebraska be authorized to distribute 

 grain to be supplied them for the pur- 

 pose. The Third Assistant Postmaster 

 General at once gave the instructions 

 requested. 



Mrs. Elizabeth C. T. Miller, President 



of the Cleveland Bird-Lovers' Association, 

 sent notices to all on her large member- 

 ship list, called upon the people generally 

 through the press, and set other move- 

 ments in operation looking to the good of 

 the birds. 



The South Dakota State College is the 

 largest educational institution in the 

 State, enrolling over eleven hundred mem- 

 bers. President E. C. Perisho, who is a 

 lover of wild birds and, incidentally, one 

 of the most influential and public-spirited 

 educators of the West, called a mass 

 meeting of his students and laid the situa- 

 tion before them. The following is from 

 one of his letters, and will give some idea 

 of what resulted. 



"We are doing everything possible at 

 this end to save the birds of South Dakota. 

 I thought perhaps you would be interested 

 to know that our organization for this 

 purpose is as follows: 



"I. The State College has written to 

 four hundred or hve hundred boys and 

 girls, members of the Boys' and Girls' 

 Clubs of the state, asking them to scatter 

 grain and make some protection to save 

 the Field Sparrows, Quails, and Prairie 

 Chickens especially. 



"2. The entire extension force of the 

 College, including all the short-course 

 demonstrators, district men, etc., have 

 been written to and are cooperating with 

 us. 



"3. All the county agents of the state 

 are interesting the school children of their 

 counties, and a number of farmers and 

 the rural mail carriers. 



"4. The commercial clubs in all the 

 large towns of the state, and the smaller 

 ones where grain is most needed, have been 

 written to, asking for their immediate 

 cooperation. 



"5. All the state institutions, five 

 besides our own, have been asked to 

 help in this matter. 



"6. A number of high schools and town- 

 ship schools, etc., have been asked to help. 



"7. Between one and two hundred 

 farmers, well distributed over the state 

 have had personal letters. 



"^Money in small amounts has been 

 promised to county agents, commercial 

 clubs, etc. I met a number of the young 

 men of our college today and talked to 

 them about the situation, and asked for 

 their cooperation in writing to their 

 homes, etc. Those most interested in the 



