The Audubon Societies 



55 



<'ommissioner "thinks that it will be easy 

 to pass such a bill, as the sentiment of the 

 people is changing reniarkaiily on the sub- 

 ject." 



New Jersey. -President Benjamin P. Mor- 

 ris, of the New Jersey Game Commission, 

 in his excellent report to the Governor and 

 legislature of the state, advocates very 

 strongly the abolishment of spring wild-fowl 

 and snipe shooting and also the adoption of 

 the resident hunter's license law. His impor- 

 tant recommendations will undoubtedly be 

 acted upon, and this Association, of course, 

 will do all that it can to help in this impor- 

 tant matter. 



The fact that in Connecticut and New 

 Jersey, wild fowl can be shot after the first 

 of January, has always been one of the 

 strongest arguments brought by the Long 

 Island duck shooters for the repeal of the 

 New York law, and it is very pleasing 

 indeed to know that the Game Commissions 

 of New Jersey and Connecticut are both 

 strongly in favor of having a wild-fowl law 

 in their states, similar to the one in New 

 York, because they realize that spring shoot- 

 ing is one of the greatest causes for the 

 diminution of wild fowl, second only to 

 market-shooting and sale. 



New Mexico — Mr. W. E. Griffin, Game 

 and Fish Warden, has agreed to introduce 

 our Model Law at the present session of the 

 legislature, and he writes : " From the present 

 outlook, I believe little difficulty will be 

 experienced in passing not only your bird 

 law, but also a comprehensive game law." 



New York State. — The battle in this state 

 has not yet taken form, as the legislature has 

 just commenced its session and it is too 

 <arly to get an idea of what game bills will 

 be introduced. There are many important 

 changes that should be made in the present 

 law; in fact, a complete revision of the mass 

 of contradictory provisions in the New York 

 law should be made. The proper way to 

 ■do this would be for Governor Hughes to 

 establish a commission to revise the entire 

 game law; one member of the commission 

 should be an ornithologist of national stand- 



ing, to look after the interest of birds and 

 game. 



North Carolina.- Tliis is also one of tiie 

 hotbeds of game legislation. The residents 

 of certain of the counties on the coast where, 

 for years, oneof the industries has been killing 

 Ducks for market, are determined to abolish 

 the Audubon Society of North Carolina, or, 

 if that is not possible, to remove all restric- 

 tions from some of the coast counties so the 

 gunners may continue their market-shooting. 

 It is the same old question whether the assets 

 of a commonwealth, that belong to all the 

 people, shall be confiscated and used by a 

 very limited class. 



Secretary Pearson recently visited Asheville 

 and gave two public lectures. A local 

 branch of the Audubon Society was formed, 

 with 155 members. Asheville is the largest 

 health-resort of the southern Appalachian 

 mountains and is an important point for 

 bird-protection work. Mr. George J. Gould 

 has just agreed to contribute the sum of $500 

 per year to help carry on warden work in 

 this state, in which he has large property 

 interests. It is fortunate that our secretary 

 who has charge of the work in this district 

 is young, strong and full of enthusiasm; for 

 he needs every one of these qualities to suc- 

 cessfully conduct the campaign that is now 

 on, not only in his own state, but in the 

 other six states under his supervision. 



In this connection, it is of interest to call 

 the attent on of our members to the growth 

 of Association work. Five years ago, one 

 man, with the aid of a stenographer a portion 

 of the time, could do all the work. Today 

 the Association has at its main office, in 

 New York, a staff of four assistants; the 

 southern office at Greensboro, North Caro- 

 lina, which is managed by our secretary, 

 has a clerical staff of two. In addition, Mr. 

 Edward Howe Forbush, late ornithologist 

 of the Board of Agriculture of the State of 

 Massachusetts, devotes his entire time to lec- 

 turing, organizing and getting new mem- 

 bers for the Association in the New England 

 states. The services of a lecturer and organ- 

 izer for the states of Alabama, Mississippi, 

 Louisiana, eastern Texas and Arkansas 

 will shortly be secured. The foregoing will 



