^°'i9<^^^J DuTCHER, Protection of Gulls and Terns. a\ 



Committee and made an argument in favor of the bill, with the 

 result that a favorable report was secured. Later the bill passed 

 both houses and became a law by the signature of the Governor. 

 Unfortunately two days later the Governor signed a general game 

 law which conflicted with the A. O. U. law in that it makes an 

 open season for two months (September and October) for such an 

 extremely valuable insectivorous bird as the Highholder {Colaptes 

 aiiratus hiteus). The State of New Jersey now has two laws in 

 force, in one of which the Highholder or Flicker is classed as a 

 game bird and in the other as an insectivorous bird. An effort 

 will be made at the next session of the legislature to have this 

 unfortunate contradiction corrected. This incident very forcibly 

 shows how absolutely necessary it is that some person or com- 

 mittee with time, money, and interest in the work, shall always be 

 on the watch to prevent changes in the non-game bird laws after 

 they have been made satisfactory. The only absolutely sure 

 method of prevention is to arrange to see copies of all game or 

 bird bills introduced at every session of all the legislative bodies 

 in the United States. This of course will necessitate a large 

 amount of correspondence, a very considerable expenditure of 

 money, and in case adverse bills are introduced, a fight to pre- 

 vent passage. 



Delaware. — The Audubon Society, in conjunction with the 

 Delaware Game Protective Association, had the A. O. U. model 

 law presented as a bill in the legislature, where it was, as usual, 

 referred to the game committee who made an adverse report and 

 recommended that " the bill do not pass." This necessitated a 

 visit to Dover, Delaware, by your committee, accompanied by a 

 ■delegation from both of the societies that had the bill introduced. 

 The result was that the recommendation of the game committee 

 was reconsidered, the bill was recommitted to the committee, who, 

 after hearing our arguments in favor of bird protection, thus get- 

 ting a clear idea of its merits made a unanimous recommendation 

 "that the bill do pass." It was passed in the very last hours of 

 the session and became a law March 9, 1901, by the approval of 

 the Governor. An additional section was included in the law, at 

 the request of the Audubon Society, to the effect that the Gov- 

 ernor be authorized to set apart each year, by proclamation, a day 



