JOURNAL OF MAINE ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



The Society voted to instruct tliis 

 Commitee, and the Ex^'cutive Com- 

 mittte of the Society, to use their ut- 

 most influence for its passage. 



Voted to request Mr. O. W. Knight 

 to prepare a supplement to the Birds 

 of Maine, and to instruct the Council 

 to prepare for the pul)lication of the 

 same. 



Owing to lack of time, the follow- 

 ing papers were read by title: "How 

 We Added Bob White to Our Bridgton 

 List." by J. C. Mead; "A Pair of Cat- 

 birds, by J. Merton Swain; "Some 

 Prehistoric Cliff and Cave Dwellers," 

 by Ora W. Knight; "Reminiscences of 

 Bird Life, and the Rapid Decrease of 

 Same on Our Coast," by Capt. Herbert 

 L. Spinney. 



Meeting adjourned. 



A. H. NORTON, Secretary. 



PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. 



Another year has passed away, and 

 once more we meet to compare notes, 

 and to consult how we may best at- 

 tain the ends for which we stand or- 

 ganized. Our growth, during the six 

 years that have passed since the 

 founding of our society, has not been 

 phenomenal, nor have we accomplish- 

 ed wonders in promoting a love for our 

 feathered friends, or in according them 

 protection fi'om their human enemies 

 who harry them by land and sea; 

 ni'ither hafe we proposed any change 

 in our statute laws to stop the ruth- 

 less slaughter of countless thousands, 

 to supply the demand of fashion; 

 neither can we show an awakened and 

 enlightened public spirit of reverence 

 for the aesthetic side of Bird Study. 



The last I hold to be naramount to 

 all other considerations. For, not- 

 withstanding the demands of science. 



it is th? beauty of birds that appeals 

 most strongly to the souls of men. 



Birds alive possess a monetary 

 value also, to the practical man. Mer- 

 cenary as this consideration is, it is 

 tiie only one that will appeal to a cer- 

 tain element of our population. How 

 strikingly this has been proved is 

 shown by an incident which happened 

 at the State House two years ago. 

 Knowing that the Committee on Agri- 

 culture had unde-r consideration a plan 

 to place a bounty on Hawks, I went 

 to Augusta to consult with them on 

 the matter. 1 interviewed one member 

 only of tile committee, a hard fisted 

 farmer from thi^ lural district, who. 

 with the wisdom of a Solon, replied, 

 "We can not afford to kill off the 

 hawks, for they destroy more than 

 mice enough to pay their 'keep.' " 



If we can as satisfactorily impress 

 the student that birds have an intel- 

 lectual value, and show the boys and 

 girls that their pleasure would be ei}- 

 hanced by as much as they encouraged 

 and protected the birds of our villages 

 and streets, we should not be obliged 

 to pass laws to prevent their extermi- 

 nation by the careless and unsympa- 

 thetic. 



The history of the millinery trade, 

 on the other hand, proves conclusive- 

 ly that strict laws rigidly enforced 

 can alone hope to stay the wholesale 

 destruction of whole colonies which 

 has been going on in various parts 

 of our country. For the purchaser is 

 so far removed from the scene of 

 cruelty and bloodshed, and so plausi- 

 ble are the stories told by the dealers. 

 that it is difficult for the wearer to be- 

 lieve the awful truth of suffering and 

 death. 



The small membership of our society 

 and the consequent curtailment of our 

 resourci s has prevented us from mak- 

 ing our influence felt to a degree com- 

 m.ensuiate with our desires. The 

 members individually have done much 



