THE AUDUBON NOTE BOOK. 



MEMBERSHIP RETURNS. 



The month of May closed with a total registered 

 number of 46,484, showing an increase during the 

 month of 833 members, drawn from the following 

 sources: 



New York 190 Kentucky 2 



Massachusetts 178 Colorado i 



Pennsylvania 58 Missouri 6 



New Jersey 49 California 13 



Connecticut 58 Kansas 15 



Maine 20 Georgia i 



Rhode Island i North Carolina 31 



Indiana 13 Delaware 36 



Ohio 9 Tennessee 4 



Washington Territorj' 3 Alabama 2 



Minnesota 16 Canada 132 



New Mexico i 



8^3 

 C. F. Amery, General Secretary. 



BIRDS ON THE INCREASE. 



From a great number of sources we have received 

 the very gratifying intelligence that birds are per- 

 ceptibly on the increase this year, and the daily press 

 has recorded similar observations, some of their 

 correspondents ingeniously attributing the increase 

 to the mortality among the sparrows during the 

 severe snow storm last March. Unfortunately for 

 this argument the sparrows don't kill birds; the 

 most that is charged against them in this direction 

 is that they disturb and drive away nesting birds and 

 destroy their eggs. All this might affect the num- 

 ber of young birds of the season, but the subject for 

 congratulation is the number of birds that came 

 back from the south to build, and the sparrows had 

 nothing to do with affecting these returns. There 

 is no need to go so far afield in search of a cause 

 when an adequate one is at hand in the restraining 

 influence of the Audubon Society. 



THE POET'S APPEAL. 



We never have had a poet's corner in the Audu- 

 bon Magazine, in fact, as is well known to our 

 contributors, we have religiously and firmly ex- 

 cluded all metrical productions from its columns. 

 In this determination we have of course been ani- 

 mated by the very best of motives, but there are mo- 

 ments when we have been brought face to face with 

 the question, "Is this want of faith in the inspiring 

 influence of poetry the result of superior insight or 

 of some deficiency in your own spiritual natures?" 



Modesty and integrity alike urge to an impartial 

 decision, and even at the risk of proving ourselves 

 wrong, we are determined to avail ourselves of an 



opportunity that now offers itself for putting the 

 matter to the test. Can poetry inspire to generous 

 action ? That is the problem we have determined 

 to solve, and the conditions are eminently favorable 

 to a right decision. Month after month have we ap- 

 pealed to our readers in the most earnest prose 

 language at our command to contribute to the erec- 

 tion of the Audubon Monument, and our appeal 

 has for the most part passed unheeded by, but the 

 poet Isaac McLellan put his pen to paper in good 

 flowing rhyme in behalf of the monument, and un- 

 der the influence of the stimulus put his other hand 

 into his pocket and sent us liberal largess. Is it 

 not then possible that others may be similarly moved 

 by his poetic appeal ? That is precisely the prob- 

 lem for solution, and one which we have determined 

 to solve by publishing it, being willing to be proved 

 wrong for the sake of truth and the money which 

 will have to be put in evidence. 



THE "MAGAZINE" AS AN EDUCATOR. 



Editor Audubon Magazine: 



Will you please thank Miss Florence A. Merriam 

 for me for her "Fifty Common Birds"? I have 

 learned so much this spring, with her help, about 

 the birds. Last year, if any one had asked me what 

 kinds of birds we have in our neighborhood, I should 

 probably have answered, "Oh, robins and catbirds 

 and sparrows." Of course, I knew there were more 

 than those I have just named, but I never knew how 

 many more until I saw them through my opera 

 glasses. Just see my record for the past month. I 

 have italicized the names of those I never saw before 

 this spring. 



April 6 — Yellow-shafted flicker. 



April 14 — Chippy, kinglet and a pair of juncos. 



April iS — Song sparrow, tvhite-throated sparrow 

 and a wood thrush. 



April 28 — Robin building in the honeysuckle on 

 our side porch. Saw the chimney swifts to-day, first 

 time this year. 



May I — Pair of Baltimore orioles. 



May 2 — Meadotvlark, black and -white creeper, 

 black-throated blue ivarbler and a chciuink. 



May 5 — Chewinkortowhee, catbird (first time this 

 year) brown thrush, belted kingfisher, Baltimore 

 oriole and a white-throated sparrow. 



So you see I owe a great deal to Miss Merriam, 

 for it was from her descriptions that I found out the 

 names of my feathered friends. E. B. B. 



Germantown, Pa. 



