The Audubon Societies 



149 



NOTES FROM THE FIELD 



Birds Beautifying Cemeteries 



Some time ago, the Secretary hap- 

 pened to visit a suburban cemetery, 

 where landscape-gardening and sculptural 

 art had done what they could to make the 

 scene beautiful and comforting, but he 

 was impressed by the absence of singing 

 birds. Alien Sparrows were chattering, 

 and the gurgling of a Grackle was heard 

 in the distance, but none of the sweet 

 voices and pretty forms of the native 

 birds charmed the ear or gladdened the 

 eye of a visitor. This seemed strange, for 

 the varied trees and shrubbery, with 

 sunny spaces among them, quiet and 

 guarded against noisy intrusion, would be 

 exceedingly attractive and favorable to 

 bird-life; and it occurred to him that in 

 no place would an invitation to the birds 

 to make themselves at home in summer 

 be so likely to be accepted; nor could 

 anything be more appropriate than their 

 cheerful presence. They will prove useful, 

 too. 



These thoughts induced him to write a 

 brief essay, entitled "Cemeteries as Bird- 

 Sanctuaries," which has been published 

 by the National Association as Circular 

 No. 2, and distributed to many persons 

 likely to be interested. The response has 

 been most encouraging. Associations and 

 individuals all over the country have 

 written for this circular, and are taking 

 measures to furnish cemeteries with 

 shelters, nesting-boxes and feeding-sta- 

 tions for birds under instruction from the 

 Association. The great Forest Lawn 

 Cemetery near Omaha, for example, is 

 putting up 100 nest-boxes as a beginning. 

 The Rosehill Cemetery and others about 

 Chicago are undertaking similar enter- 

 prises, and the Cemetery Beautifying 

 Association of San Francisco is plan- 

 ning this addition to its methods of 

 making more attractive the resting-place 

 of the dead. Blue Bird announces that the 

 Lake View Cemetery at Cleveland, Ohio, 

 will erect many feeding-tables and nest- 

 boxes, in its grounds. The matter has been 



taken up by the Lexington Kentucky 

 Audubon Society. Other instances might 

 be mentioned. 



It is greatly to be hoped that many 

 others will follow their example. The 

 movement we think is worth while, for the 

 sake of humanity as well as for the birds. 



The Oregon Audubon Society 



The Oregon Audubon Society has 

 recently established headquarters in the 

 Young Men's Christian Association build- 

 ing, in Portland. The room occupied by 

 the Society has been tastefully decorated 

 with pictures, and contains cabinets of 

 specimens for study. It is planned to give 

 lectures regularly on Saturday evenings. 



Mr. William L. Finley, President of the 

 Society, and the Pacific Coast field-agent 

 for the National Association, in company 

 with Mrs. Finley, has this spring been 

 spending several weeks in the East, where 

 he has been constantly engaged in giving 

 lectures illustrated with moving pictures 

 of sea-birds. Sage Grouse, sea-lions, cou- 

 gars, black bears, antelopes, and other 

 interesting forms of western wild life. 



Work Along Columbia River 



The Federation of Women's Clubs in 

 the State of Washington has been notable 

 among such organizations for that prac- 

 tical interest in bird-life which arises from 

 an appreciation of their usefulness as well 

 as their beauty. It has recently testified 

 to this most substantially by becoming a 

 member of this Association. Last year, 

 and to a less extent in the previous year, 

 the Federation was represented largely at 

 the State Fair by an exhibition that was 

 called the "Bird Court," in which all sorts 

 of ornithological things were displayed to 

 great advantage. The success of these 

 exhibitions was due largely to the wisdom 

 and energy of Mrs. G. R. Pike, of North 

 Yakima, who has been indefatigable in 

 her efforts to spread the study of birds in 

 the schools. She has been traveling and 



