°g I ]\cport of Committee on Bird Protection. '1 1 



" If I can be of use at any time I shall be glad to furnish any 

 aid possible." 



Following the suggestion of Mr. Anthony, strong letters to the 

 proper authorities, urging the protection of all Herons, were sent 

 through Mr. Stone, and by Prof. J. A. Allen in behalf of the 

 Linnaean Society of New York, to whose attention the matter was 

 brought. No report of the direct results obtained has been 

 received as yet. 



Audubon Societies. 



Very valuable work is being done, and will be done in the future, 

 by the Audubon Societies which have been established, or are now 

 in process of organization. The first of these, the Massachusetts 

 Audubon Society, was organized in 1886. As each one is planned 

 on the same lines, and with the same objects in view, a quotation 

 from the prospectus of the Massachusetts Society will serve to 

 give the character of the work hoped to be accomplished. 



" The purpose of the Society is to discourage buying and wearing 

 for ornamental purposes the feathers of any wild bird, and to 

 otherwise further the protection of our native birds. We would 

 awaken the community to the fact that this fashion of wearing 

 feathers means the cruel slaughter of myriads of birds, and that 

 some of our finest birds are already decimated, and may ultimately 

 be exterminated by the demand for their feathers. We would 

 make an appeal to all lovers of nature, since by this reckless 

 demand of fashion the woods and fields are being stripped of one 

 of their chief attractions, and the country deprived of indispensa- 

 ble friends to agriculture." 



Any person is eligible for membership who is willing to sub- 

 scribe to the following simple pledge : '' Being in sympathy with 

 the principles of the Massachusetts Audubon Society, I hereby 

 agree not to purchase or encourage the use of feathers of wild 

 birds for ornamentation." A very small fee is required of 

 members, the same being used solely for the purpose of printing 

 and disseminating the necessary literature of the subject. 

 Societies similar to the above are now actively working in Phila- 

 delphia and Chicago, and I am pleased to state that one is in 



