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Although we have diiiie but comparatively little in the way of gather- 

 ing statistics concerning the birds of Nebraska, we have, as you may read- 

 ily see, laid a fair foundation for the beginning of a study of these crea- 

 tures. It has already been acknowledged by the action of the legislature 

 of Nebraska that this state is to take an eminent position among- the states 

 of the Union as a bird protector. We have established a Bird Day in our 

 public schools. But two or three other states have done likewise. We were 

 the first to establish Arbor Day; Pennsj-lvania was the first to establish 

 Bird Day. We came in second or third, I do not remember which. Besides 

 this our Department of Public Instruction has taken up the matter in ear- 

 nest and distributes each year for Bird Day and Arbor Day a program to be 

 used in all the public schools throughout the state, giving at least one-half 

 of this publication to birds, and the other half to trees, shrubs and flowers. 

 In the University of Nebraska Experiment Station we have always insist- 

 ed that birds are essential to farmers and fruit growers, and have endeav- 

 ored to show by publications from time to time that these creatures otight 

 to be protected because of their usefulness. A year ago, or thereabouts, a 

 little bulletin or leaflet called "An Appeal for the Protection of Our Birds", 

 was prepared in this Department. This was not original, but was sent out 

 from the Department for the efl'ect it might have in the direction of bird 

 protection. Up to date something like twenty or twenty-one thousand of 

 these leaflets have been distributed. At least three-quarters or more of our 

 daily and weekly papers have published the bulletin in full; besides, a num- 

 ber of monthly periodicals have copied it and spread it among their read- 

 ers; hence the citizens of the state beg-in to conceive the idea that bird pro- 

 tection is not to be a fad but a reality. 



I have always maintained that birds are a sort of equalizer in nature, 

 and have frequently made addresses in which it was stated that insects 

 were made for some purpose, and that purpose was "for birds to eat", and 

 that "birds were made to eat insects". Here is an equilibrium for you. If 

 we kill the birds there will be a superabundance of insects; if we permit 

 the insects to increase then the birds will also need to be increased. We 

 must keep the number of birds up in order to keep the insects down. If by 

 any chance we should have more birds than we have insects to feed them 

 with, the birds would simply go to other states for such food. 



Now I have conceived the idea that we, as an organization of bird lov- 

 ers of Nebraska, have a mission before us. Whether I am right in this or 

 not will remain for you to say. While we can study birds with reference 

 to their moulting, their food habits, their migration and other habits, we 

 should, I believe, make bird study something even more than this in our 

 state. It strikes me that we have a mission to bring the study of ornithol- 

 ogy into our public schools. Every one of us is intensely interested in this 

 matter, and if we go at it in the right way there is no reason why this or- 

 ganization cannot prepare a manual on Nebraska birds to be used in our 

 schools. There are certainly enough persons in the Union who have suffi- 

 cient interest, and who are capable of getting together the manuscript for 

 such a manual. Just now we are trying, in fact, not only ourselves, but 

 the entire school system of the state is trying, to introduce what we choose 



