10 Massachusetts Audubon Society 



as we with them. In state legislation one very important measure 

 successfully advocated was what is known as the Alien Gun Law, for- 

 bidding unnaturalized aliens to have guns iji their possession. This 

 law, proposed by the Massachusetts Fish and Game Protective Associ- 

 ation, was warmly approved by the Audubon Society, which worked 

 effectively with the sportsmen for its passage. The law has had good 

 effect in stopping much illegal hunting, saving song-birds from de- 

 struction and making the woods and fields safer to us all. 



Stopped Spring In Federal legislation the Society has during the 

 Shooting in past year or so taken a very active part. In the 



Southwest. spring of 1916, the Biological Survey at Washing- 



ton proposed, as a part of the new regulations of 

 the law protecting migratory birds, that a month's spring shooting 

 be given the gunners of the Southwest, between the dates of February 

 9th and March 10th. An open season in mating-time is, of course, 

 a crime against nature, against real sport and is most deadly to the 

 true spirit of conservation. Our Society felt, moreover, more than 

 an altruistic interest in this matter, as spring shooting by promulga- 

 tion of the Washington authorities for Missouri would mean a demand 

 from similar sources for spring shooting in Massachusetts. The So- 

 ciety, therefore, appropriated $1000 to send a competent biologist to 

 Missouri, to study actual conditions there among birds and men, and 

 to rouse public sentiment in the region against the consummation of 

 this plan. Dr. Hornaday, trustee of the Wild Life Conservation Fund 

 in New York, joined with us in this work, appropriating a similar 

 amount. Meanwhile, a circular letter of information and invitation 

 to protest was sent to every agricultural college and agricultural paper 

 in the country. The result was excellent. We were able to lay before 

 the Biological Survey convincing proof that the season is a mating- 

 time with the wild fowl of the region and were instrumental in seeing 

 that thousands of protests against the proposed open season went to 

 the Survey and to Members of Congress at Washington. As a direct 

 result of this work the obnoxious, regulation was removed and the 

 mating birds of this great wild-fowl region were saved. 



Treaty with During the summer session of Congress it was dis- 



Canada Passed, covered that there was an opportunity to push the 

 proposed Treaty with Canada in behalf of the migra- 

 tory birds, making the Federal law uniform for all North America, 

 north of Mexico. Our representative was immediately sent to Wash- 

 ington and then on to the Southwest, in the interest of the Treaty, 

 which, in spite of adverse conditions, largely through the abilities of 



