^°1q^^ J DuTCHER, Report of Committee on Bird Protection. I '7 C 



Some further light is thrown on this matter by the St. Louis 

 'Star' in its edition of July i : "About the crudest thing perpe- 

 trated by the boodlers in the last Legislature was to defeat the bill 

 of the Audubon Society for the protection of the birds. Men 

 must be greedy indeed, when protection must be bought for the 

 feathered songsters." 



The next session of legislature will be held in 1905. 



Warden systein. — No wardens employed by the Thayer Fund. 



Auduboji work. — The officers of the Audubon Society, with 

 commendable pluck and nerve, say : " Notwithstanding the failure 

 to get legislation at the recent session, the Audubon Society does 

 not purpose to give up the fight. It believes the great majority of 

 the people of Missouri are in favor of bird, fish and game protec- 

 tion, and it further believes that thsir voice must finally be 

 heard." 



Montana. — Legislation. — The non-game bird law is imperfect, 

 inadequate and not enforcible, as the penalty is altogether too 

 severe. The ordinary juryman will not convict when a penalty is 

 out of all proportion to the magnitude of the violation. 



The next session of the legislature will be held in 1905. 



Warden system. — No wardens were employed by the Thayer 

 Fund. 



Audubon 7vork. — There is no society in the State, and seemingly 

 little interest exhibited by the citizens, either in bird study or 

 protection. 



The press of Montana should agitate the matter and enlist the 

 sympathy of the public in this important subject. 



Nebraska. — Legislation. — No change in the non-game bird law. 

 At the last session of the legislature a law was passed prohibiting 

 pigeon shoots at traps. This excellent measure was the result of 

 the united efforts of the Nebraska Humane Society and the Omaha 

 Audubon Society. 



The next session of the legislature will be held in 1905. 



Warden system. — No wardens were employed in this State. 



Audubon work. — The Nebraska Ornithologists' Union is doing 

 excellent work in popularizing the study of birds in the State and 

 in uniting all the students in a Union that cannot help exerting a 

 good influence for bird protection. " At its last annual meeting the 



