2 Massachusetts Audubon Society 



ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING 



The Annual Business Meeting of the Massachusetts Audubon Society, 

 Inc., will be held at the office of the Society, 66 Newbury Street, Boston, 

 on Saturday, January 22nd, at 3 P. M. All Life and Sustaining Members 

 of the Society are members of the corporation and have voting powers at 

 this meeting. The annual reports of the Secretary and Treasurer and the 

 auditing and nominating committees are made at this meeting. A detailed 

 report of work and funds of the Society is issued in the February Bulletin 

 of each year. 



TWENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY 



The Massachusetts Audubon Society wishes all members and friends of 

 its work a Happy and Prosperous New Year. 1921 is the twenty-fifth 

 anniversary of the founding of this Society, the oldest in point of con- 

 tinuing existence of all the Audubon Societies. There is in the archives of 

 the Society a worn volume in which the first record is as follows: — "1896 

 — An informal meeting of the Directors of the Massachusetts Audubon 

 Society was held with Mrs. Hemenway, 273 Clarendon Street, Boston, 

 Monday, February 10th at four o'clock. There were present Mrs. Cabot, 

 Mrs. Bolles, Miss Hall, Mr. Bangs, Mr. Lowell, Dr. Minot, Mrs. Hemenway 

 and Miss Richards the Secretary, Dr. Minot in the chair." There follow, 

 simply recorded, the plans on which were laid the firm foundation of the 

 work which has shown steady growth ever since. 



Not only was the Massachusetts Audubon Society to advance in power 

 and usefulness, broadening the scope of its endeavor as need and means 

 came, as they so often have hand in hand, but its action and success were 

 to serve as incentive and model for Audubon Societies which have since 

 been formed in almost every State in the Union. To this day it serves as 

 guide and exemplar to these, which come to it for advice and assistance in 

 forwarding their work in their own localities. Thus, to a large extent, it 

 stands as a mother to Audubon Societies, second in the broad scope, interest 

 and effectiveness of its work only to the great National Association at New 

 York which co-ordinates the work of all. Through the initiative of the 

 Massachusetts Audubon Society has come most of that great advance in 

 laws and public sentiment for the protection of the wild birds of the country 

 which has been so marked during the last twenty-five years. 



Great as has been the work already done, we are but on the threshold 

 of opportunity. We give you the greetings of the New Year. Let us make 

 it a record year as well as an Anniversary. We want to give a great for- 

 ward impulse to the teaching of Bird study and Bird protection to the 

 school children of the State. Last year 30,000 were enrolled. This year 

 let us make it 60,000. The best minds among school men endorse and 

 encourage this work, not only for its altruistic value but as a means of 

 training the young mind in alertness and observation. So far as it pertains 

 to our State this is local work. Funds for it are vitally necessary. 



American eagles are being shot by thousands in Alaska for a bounty, a 

 miserable pittance of twenty-five cents a call. We want to stop that. This 

 is national in its significance, but it is a thing that ought to be done and in 

 it Massachusetts ought to lead. We want to reprint our Bird Charts, one of 

 which — No. 3 — is completely out of stock. The educational work that these 



