4i8 Bird -Lore 



Mrs. Alice Hall Walter and Professor Ehringer taught bird-study for six weeks at 

 the Biological Laboratory at Cold Spring Harbor, New York. We supplied public 

 lectures by the following well-known speakers: E. H. Forbush, Herbert K. Job, Henry 

 Oldys, Robert Cushman Murphy, and Howard H. Cleaves. 



It is hardly necessary to point out that interest in l:)ird-study was thus 

 stimulated in the minds of several thousands of school-teachers the past sum- 

 mer. As this work must be financed entirely by a special fund collected from 

 year to year for the purpose, we would urge that members who are interested 

 in the educational feature of the Association's endeavor take under advisement 

 the matter of supporting an extension of the summer-school undertaking. 

 Virtually the entire expense of these courses heretofore has been borne by one 

 member, Miss Heloise Meyer. 



LEGISLATION 



Comparatively few states held sessions of the legislature in 191 6, hence 

 we were not called upon for the usual amount of support in this direction. 



Our Massachusetts agent, with the aid of others, was able to handle the 

 few matters that came up in the Massachusetts Legislature. 



In Virginia, after many years of effort, a state game-warden force has been 

 established by law. As usual we contributed to the campaign-fund of our 

 friends in Virginia, and I may add that, as evidence of appreciation for our 

 legislative efforts in that state for a number of years past, the Governor very 

 kindly forwarded to our New York office the pen with which he signed the 

 game- warden bill, thus making it law. Mr. M. D. Hart, the President of the 

 Virginia Audubon Society, was very active in working for the passage of this 

 bill, and has been made supervisor of the game- warden force. 



During the year the regulations governing the killing of birds under the 

 Federal Migratory Bird Law have been revised by the Biological Survey on a 

 very satisfactory basis. It should be recorded here that strong effort was made 

 by gunners and sportsmen's clubs in the Middle West to force into the regula- 

 tions a provision for permitting spring shooting of wild fowl, and but for the 

 efforts of E. H. Forbush, acting as President of the Massachusetts Audubon 

 Society, I have no doubt that the gunners would have gained their point. 

 He raised funds, instituted a campaign in the hostile territory, and aroused 

 public interest among the good people there who are really opposed to spring 

 shooting. Their protests, filed in Washington, saved the day. 



During the year the treaty, which has been pending for some time between 

 the United States and Canada in reference to the protection of migratory 

 birds, was ratified by the United States Senate, after having been acted on 

 favorably by Canada. At the next session of Congress there will come up the 

 proposition of passing a bill known as an "enabling act." This is to give teeth 

 and force to the treaty. Should this bill not become a law the treaty will remain 



