214 



Bird - Lore 



NOTES FROM MANY FIELDS 



Improvement in Mississippi 



The Legislature of Mississippi has 

 passed an amended fish-and-game law, 

 under the leadership of Representative 

 W. J. Spears, which is an advance as com- 

 pared with previous legislation, yet leaves 

 much to be desired. Turkey gobblers may 

 be shot, not to exceed twenty in one day, 

 between November 15 and May i, but 

 Turkey hens are protected for five years. 

 Doves are still 'game-birds' from July 1 

 to October i, and Bob- whites from Novem- 

 ber IS to February 15. No game may be 

 sold in the state or shipped out of the 

 state at any time. An attempt to tax dogs 

 failed, although it was shown that Missis- 

 sippi was supporting 700,000 dogs, mostly 

 worthless curs, and that these were not 

 only destructive of poultry and sheep, and 

 one of the means of the spread of foot- 

 and-mouth disease, but annually destroyed 

 two million dollars' worth of Quails. 



Bird Day Celebrated 



More and more it is becoming the cus- 

 tom for state officials to declare Bird 

 Days in the public schools. Notices of 

 such days, set apart as special times for 

 the consideration of the utility of birds to 

 man, have come to our attention this 

 spring from the following states: 



Alabama. — Superintendent Flagin set 

 aside May 5 as official Bird Day for the 

 public schools of Alabama. 



Cahfornia. — Conservation, Bird, and 

 Arbor Day, March 7. Set aside by the 

 State Superintendent of Education. 



New Hampshire. — The Governor issued 

 a proclamation making April 14 Bird Day. 



New Mexico. — Governor William C. 

 McDonald proclaimed March 31 and 

 April 14 as Arbor and Bird Days. 



New York. — The Governor proclaimed 

 April 14 as Bird Day. This is a bit later 

 than in 1915, which was the first year this 

 celebration was held. 



Oklahoma. — State Superintendent R. 

 H. Wilson announced April 14 as Bird 



Day. Oklahoma has observed this date 

 for several years. 



Texas. — Governor Ferguson issued a 

 proclamation designating April 3 as Bird 

 Day. 



Minnesota. — Governor J. A. A. Burn- 

 quist issued a proclamation making April 

 28 Arbor and Bird Day. 



Robin-Killing Continues 



The ruthless slaughter of Robins con- 

 tinues in central Kentucky and Tennessee, 

 in spite of both law and gospel, although 

 the law has been visited upon a few of the 

 depredators, thanks to the energy of local 

 bird-lovers. One case, at least, in Ken- 

 tucky, is likely to meet with suitable 

 punishment, for the culprit confessed that 

 he had sold 121 dozen to his neighbors, 

 and had stuffed a feather-bed and some 

 pillows with the feathers of his little 

 victims. A vast "roost" existed near his 

 home in Whitely County. 



Another great Robin roost was found 

 southwest of Whitely, in Tennessee, and 

 the slaughter there is described by W. S. 

 Bryan, of Rugby, Tennessee, who says: 



"Raiders from Fentress have been cross- 

 ing Clear Fork of Cumberland into this 

 county at night, and kiUing many of the 

 birds on their roosts along White Oak 

 Creek, almost within the very precincts 

 of this town, but no arrests had been made 

 until last night when nine of the raiders 

 were caught with the goods on them. 

 They had more than sixty birds in their 

 sacks, so that the fines will amount to over 

 $300, the penalty being $5 for each bird. 

 The guilty parties, being well known, were 

 allowed to return home on their own re- 

 cognizance, but the fines will undoubt- 

 edly be enforced, as both the state and 

 federal authorities are determined to put a 

 stop to these cruel and lawless proceed- 

 ings. The prosecution of the cases will be 

 supervised by the officials of the Audubon 

 Society, who have these matters in charge." 



Upon learning these facts, the Asso- 

 ciation immediately telegraphed its local 

 representatives to take up the matter, and 

 it is sincerely to be hoped that the people 

 of that region will be taught such a lesson 



