296 Bird -Lore 



necessarily mean that it cannot be occupied by man, it simply means that when 

 a bird or animal reaches these sacred precincts its life is safe. 



The refuge plan must necessarily in the future be largely by purchase or 

 lease or donation from individuals or societies. The Louisiana Audubon Society 

 has been very active in this work, and now owns or leases a large number of 

 islands. 



During the past year, the North Carolina Audubon Society has acquired 

 some sandy islands on the coast, which are noted bird resorts. On one of them 

 is located the largest colony of Least Terns that exists in the United States. The 

 La Rue Holmes Nature Lovers' League has raised a considerable sum of money 

 for the purpose of buying a large tract of suitable marsh land in New Jersey,, 

 which is to be dedicated as a bird refuge. The state of Massachusetts has, during 

 the present year, acquired a tract of 2,000 acres on Martha's Vineyard for a 

 refuge, especially for the purpose of preventing the total extinction of the Heath 

 Hen. Individuals are adopting the idea, and are making their estates bird and 

 animal refuges; this is specially the case in California and in Indiana. 



Thousands of memorial dollars are contributed annually to educational 

 or philanthropic institutions. We suggest that a beautiful and appropriate 

 memorial would be an island or tract of land dedicated in perpetuity as a bird 

 refuge in charge of this Association. It would be a lasting and fitting monument. 



Warden Work. — The importance of this branch of effort of the National 

 Association is hardly realized by the public. Had it not been for the faithful 

 guardians who have cared for the colonies of sea-birds on the coasts and inland 

 waters of the country, many of the species of birds that we now have strong 

 colonies of would have been exterminated. This is easily proven; take for instance 

 the Terns and Gulls. A habit implanted in all species of birds centuries since 

 impels them annually to journey to an ancestral breeding home for the purpose 

 of reproducing their kind. If they are undisturbed, enough young are raised 

 to offset the decrease, caused by old age, epidemics, cold storms, high tides, lack 

 of food and predatory birds and mammals, and a species is maintained at a high 

 degree of strength and efficiency. If, on the contrary, the birds are prevented 

 from breeding for one season alone, the species is weakened, and, if this is con- 

 tinued, it will, necessarily, finally become exterminated, because not enough 

 new birds are produced to keep up the stock. Our warden system is for the 

 purpose of allowing the birds to breed undisturbed, and the loyalty and efficiency 

 of the men in our employ is the reason why our coasts and inland waters are 

 slowly but surely being repopulated with sea-birds, some species of which were 

 dangerously near the point of disappearance. Even with all the care exercised 

 in the past few years to prevent such a misfortune, there is grave doubt whether 

 it will be possible to restore at least two species that were formerly common, 

 viz., the Least and Gull-billed Terns. 



During the breeding season of 1907, all of the colonies cared for did well, 

 and some of them had a specially favorable season. Each warden is required 



