ered all species of Hawks and Owls except the Fish Hawk, 

 thereby annulling that portion of the present non-game bird law 

 dealing with these birds. It w^as subsequently amended to apply 

 only to such species as are not protected under the present law. 



The plea in defense of the 1)ill was, of course, the stock com- 

 plaint of certain sportsmen, that native game could not be 

 increased nor introduced game successfully propagated unless 

 these predator}- creatures were exterminated or reduced in num- 

 bers. This plea takes no account of certain facts familiar to nat- 

 uralists, namel\-, that predatory creatures are nature's own device 

 to hold in reasonable check creatures on which they prey; that 

 man alone can and does disregard nature's laws and permanently 

 upset her complex and delicately established balance, and that 

 man alone is responsible for the decrease in the game and other 

 forms of wild life of our country, hence it is against man only 

 that we need to direct our restrictive laws ; finally, that even 

 were there more justice in the claim against predatory crea- 

 tures, still the agricultural interests, w'ith their need for pro- 

 tection against destructive rodents and insects, would be entitled 

 to greater consideration than sportsmen in proportion as their 

 claim is more important. 



It is fortunate indeed that New Jersey had a Legislature so 

 responsiA^e to the pul)lic need that they refused to seriously con- 

 sider this bill, otherwise our State might now be sufifering the 

 disastrous results experienced by Pennsylvania following her 

 Hawk and Owl bounty act of 1885. 



Xew Jersey is also fortunate in the possession of a Fish and 

 Game Commission keenly alive to the economic value of non- 

 game birds. The Audubon Plumage law passed in 191 1 has been 

 wisely and energetically enforced by the Commission, and it has 

 not been necessary for the Audubon Society to devote any atten- 

 tion to this matter. Two prosecutions in Trenton for violation 

 of this act netted $460 in fines, and a considerable number of 

 plumes w'ere confiscated. 



The Secretary gave a series of 12 lectures before the 

 Farmers' Institutes as follows: Vineland. November 11; Blairs- 

 town, November 24; Newton, November 25; Moorestown, 



