358 Bird -Lore 



Our certificates of membership have just arrived, and we shall soon have 

 the honor of forwarding to you Certificate No. 2. with the best wishes of our 

 young Society. 



In order to help do our share toward maintaining the mother institution, 

 we shall send you before long a large number of subscriptions to Bird-Lore. 



We have, in a direct way, checked the slaughter of Doves and of Robins, 

 and we believe that the organization of our Society has caused a better enforce- 

 ment of our game laws. — George A. Pettigrew, Secretary. 



Texas. — The energy of the Texas Audubon Society during the current year, 

 has been devoted mostly to the procuring of desirable legislation, and in the 

 latter months to assisting in the enforcement of the statutes enacted for the pre- 

 servation of wild birds and animals, cooperating with the state warden and his 

 deputies to that end. The bill creating the warden system was made dependent 

 upon an annual license fee of $15, levied on non-resident gunners, the resident 

 gunners being permitted to shoot without license. From the license on the non- 

 resident gunners it is probable that a sufficient sum will accrue to support a 

 fairly efficient warden system, after the legal commencement of the gunning 

 season. 



In the meantime, in order to protect the birds and game from lawless gunners, 

 who commenced slaughtering Doves, Quail, Prairie Chickens, water-fowl, deer. 

 Wild Turkeys and everything else two months before the open season, devoted 

 friends of the cause notably, in the Houston district, raised funds and paid salaries 

 of deputies from their private purses. 



The growth of public sentiment in favor of preservation of birds has been 

 marked during the past four years, and particularly marked during the present 

 year. In the population of Texas of 3,800,000, it is probable thas 50 per cent 

 have had the arguments of the Audubon Society presented to them, in some 

 form. The press has been very generous in giving space to our literature, pub- 

 lishing our articles in prominent and desirable position, under handsomely dis- 

 played headlines, and often reenforcing our pleadings with able editorials. We 

 feel also greatly indebted to the Texas educators for the strong encouragement 

 they have given to Audubon Societies in the schools, academies, colleges and 

 universities. 



The secretary, assisted by half a dozen ladies, and about an equal number 

 of gentlemen, has succeeded in entertaining audiences over a large area of the 

 state with lantern lectures. In one sparsely settled county, particularly in the 

 interest of the antelope, the peccary and the armadillo, the secretary had in his 

 audience about everybody within a radius of twenty-five miles. The chief diffi- 

 culty in lantern lecturing in Texas is transportation. Distances between points 

 are lengthy and roads are not good. Interurban electric railways are in pro- 

 cess of construction, and in the near future this difficulty will be in a large degree 

 removed. 



