g8 DuTCHER, Report of Committee on Bird Protection. \_^^ri 



also thus suggested. In this connection the work of the North 

 CaroHna Society, in securing funds from their sustaining members, 

 is certainly commendable and is an object lesson of the greatest 

 force to other societies who complain of the difficulty in securing 

 funds for their work. If in a State that is comparatively poor, 

 331 sustaining members can be secured for the asking, what would 

 be the result of the same effort in the more wealthy and thickly 

 settled States ? 



The activities of the past year have been confined to three 

 channels, as heretofore : Legislation, Warden Work, and Audubon 

 or Educational Work. The legislative branch has been particu- 

 larly successful, inasmuch as the A. O. U. model law' has been 

 adopted in nine States, as follows: Virginia, North Carolina, 

 Georgia, Tennessee, Texas, Minnesota, Colorado, Oregon, and 

 Washington (see map). 



Besides this, the influence of the National Committee was given 

 to the bettering of the game laws, in stopping spring shooting, 

 preventing sale and transportation of game, and in other direc- 

 tions. In five States we were unsuccessful in our efforts to im- 

 prove the non-game bird law ; the reasons for our failure are given 

 later under the heads of the following States, namely, California, 

 Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, and Oklahoma Territory. 



The Warden Work of the year was largely increased over that 

 of previous years and will be still further broadened during the 

 coming year, provided sufficient funds are furnished to enable the 

 National Committee to carry out its present plans. 



Audubon and Educational Work go hand in hand and are 

 really the foundation of the great economic movement that is now 

 going on ; prohibitive laws and the actual guarding of breeding 

 birds by wardens are important, but unless these are upheld by a 

 moral sentiment in the public mind, the goal that we are aiming 

 at may never be reached : 



" Books ! ' t is a dull and endless strife : 

 Come, hear the woodland Linnet, 

 How sweet his music ! on my life, 

 There's more of wisdom in it. 

 And hark ! how blithe the Thi-ostle sings ! 

 He, too, is no mean preacher: 

 Come forth into the light of things, 

 Let Natiu^e be your teacher." 



