c6 Report of Committee on Bird Protection. \_)an. 



work has been undertaken by the Committee, especially in rela- 

 tion to State Bird Laws. 



Following the suggestions of the last annual report, the Com- 

 mittee prepared a ' Model Bird Law ' to serve as a guide for 

 those who should undertake reform in their State laws. This 

 is accompanied by suggestions for modifying the law in cases 

 where its adoption in toto was deemed impossible. Copies of 

 this Model Law are furnished to those who are willing to inter- 

 est themselves in bringing it before their State Legislatures. 



Early in the year a meeting of Game Wardens of Wisconsin, 

 Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio and North Dakota was 

 held in Chicago for the purpose of drafting uniform game laws 

 for these States. Mr. Deane of our Committee appeared before 

 this meeting, in the interest of the uniform bird law, and with 

 the assistance of Mr. L. Whitney Watkins succeeded in securing 

 its adoption for presentation to the respective legislatures, along 

 with the game law. 



Effort has also been made to secure recognition of this Com- 

 mittee by the various Audubon and other bird-protective Societies 

 of America, as their representative in international matters. 

 This was deemed , desirable in consequence of correspondence 

 with the Oesterreichisch Bund der Vogelfreunde of Griitz, Austria, 

 which has undertaken to establish an International League for 

 the protection of birds, to be represented in each country by some 

 organized body or society. Such organization will doubtless be 

 of much service in securing more uniform bird laws in widely 

 separated countries. 



Much important work has been accomplished during the year 

 which has originated outside of your Committee, but which 

 deserves mention in this connection, such as (i) the establish- 

 ment of the League of American Sportsmen; (2) Mr. Hornaday's 

 report to the New York Zoological Society on 'The Destruction 

 of Our Birds and Mammals'; and (3) Senator Hoar's labors in 

 behalf of his bill in Congress to prohibit the importation of wild 

 birds' plumage for purposes of ornamentation. 



Senator Hoar's bill strikes at the root of the whole question of 

 bird millinery ; for so long as it is permissible to import ' aigrettes ' 

 and similar feathers it is almost impossible to prove that dealers 



