MUSEUM NOTES 



333 



men, but the big fact that more restrictive 

 measures liave been taken for the protection 

 of our wild bird hfe should be of decided 

 interest to all members of the great non- 

 shooting public. 



To go back a little and make our story more 

 complete, it may be said that when the 

 Biological Survey Conmiittee had promul- 

 gated their proposed regulations, and had had 

 time to sift some of the more serious com- 

 plaints, a series of hearings was arranged in 

 different parts of the country. To these 

 gatherings came sportsmen, game commis- 

 sioners, Audubon Society men, and others 

 who had things to say and to learn. A 

 member of the committee was present to 

 explain the law, hear objections, and answer 

 questions, and in a large number of instances 

 he sent the various delegates away more or 



less content that the regulations should stand 

 as thej^ were. 



As might be expected, it has been found 

 necessary to make some changes, especially 

 in regard to state exceptions, but these have 

 not been numerous, and the regulations as 

 shown above were embodied in a proclama- 

 tion signed by President Wilson on October 

 first, 1913. This had the effect of giving the 

 regulations the full force of the law. 



Today, for the first time in the history of 

 wild life conservation, we have before us the 

 unusual spectacle of the United States 

 Government taking a serious hand in a 

 problem which had been found to be too 

 difficult for solution by the different states 

 working separately. Many of us believe 

 that this foretells a brighter day for the 

 perpetuation of the wild life of our country. 



M 



useum 



Notef 



Since the last issue of the Journal the 

 following persons have become members of 

 the Museum: 



Life Members, James Gore King, Jr., 

 H.AROLD I. Pratt, and ]\Iaster John Waldo 

 Douglas; 



Sustaining Member, previously an Annual 

 Member, Mr. A. Augustus Healy. 



Annual Members, Mrs. Paul Gottheil, 

 Mrs. Charles H. Ludington, and Mrs. 

 Frederick H. Csborn, Dr. C. G. Camp- 

 bell, and Messrs. Elmer Dean Coulter, 

 J. H. J.\sper, Willi.\m Gilman Low, Jr., 

 Roswell Skeel, Jr., and Lek-vno S. Still- 

 man. 



In order to ensure the safe return of the 

 Crocker Land and relief expeditions, the 

 Crocker Land Committee has chartered the 

 steamer "Danmark" and provisioned it for 

 the relief of the explorers. The "Danmark" 

 will proceed from its base in south Green- 

 land to Egedesminde, where Mr. Fitzhugh 

 Green has been instructed to go on board to 

 represent the Committee until Dr. E. O. 

 Hovey or Mr. Donald B. MacMillan is 

 reached. Mr. Jerome Lee Allen, also at 

 Egedesminde, will either board the "Dan- 

 mark," or return to America via Copenhagen, 

 as he elects. At North Star Bay, Dr. Hovey, 

 Captain George E. Comer, and Messrs. 



Harrison J. Hunt and W. Elmer Ekblaw, will 

 be taken on board; and Mr. MacMillan will 

 probably have returned from his western trip 

 and will be found at Etah. The explorers 

 will then be taken in the "Danmark" to St. 

 John's or Sydney, where they should arrive 

 in late August or early September. Mr. 

 Maurice C. Tanquary arrived in New York 

 on June 20, and brought with him reports 

 from Dr. Hovey and Mr. MacMillan. 



The wrecking of the "Diana," the breaking 

 down of the first relief ship "Cluett" owing 

 to unusual ice conditions, and the difficulty of 

 securing a thoroughly reliable vessel at this 

 time owing to the disturbed state of ship- 

 ping, has made the expense of relieving the 

 expedition greater than could possibly have 

 been foreseen. The charter fee alone of the 

 steamer "Danmark" is $18,300; other unex- 

 pected expenditures make the total of -$40,000 

 to be raised by the Crocker Land Committee 

 to ensure the safe return of the two parties. 

 In this great emergency any contributions 

 that those interested in scientific exploration 

 are inclined to make will be much appreciated 

 by the Committee. 



The Museum has recently received a gift 

 of $10,000 from Mrs. Russell Sage, and in 

 view of her interest in the conservation of 

 bird life the Trustees have assigned this to a 



