1 lA DuTCHER, Report of Committee on Bird Protectiott. W^r 



tion Committee's report, as well as numbers of the Government 

 bulletins. I have given a set of bird charts to the white and 

 colored schools, and the kindergarten. Several school boards 

 throughout the State have promised to place the bird charts in 

 their schools. In April, I wrote to all the Circuit Judges, asking 

 them to charge the grand juries in their circuits regarding the 

 bird law. 



" I promise diligence in the coming year and hope to achieve 

 more tangible results from daily work." 



California. 



Legislation. — This State has practically no laws whatever for 

 the protection of non-game birds, except the crane and meadow- 

 lark. Gulls are protected if within five miles of the town of Santa 

 Monica. An effort will be made at the next session of the legisla- 

 ture, 1903, to have the A. O. U. model law adopted; this will 

 afford an opportunity for the large and flourishing society of 

 ornithologists, the Cooper Club, to display the same intelligent 

 activity in bird protection that they give to bird study. The very 

 large and valuable agricultural interests of the State certainly 

 demand that the valuable birds of the State shall be protected by 

 the most comprehensive laws. 



Warden System. — No wardens were employed. However, 

 through the Thayer Fund, the sen^ices of Mr. J. M. Willard of 

 the Cooper Club were secured to investigate the condition of bird 

 life in the vicinity of Eagle and Tule Lakes; his report, given in 

 full, indicates how very necessary it is that a good bird law should 

 be enacted at once. He says : 



"Three men joined forces to gather grebe plumes for the 

 market. After a couple of season's work, one of them dropped 

 out, leaving the others, who were half-brothers, still at work. 

 These men were Tom Kurr and Oscar Rankin. They owned a 

 boat, and a team with which to haul it from one lake to another. 

 As far as I could find, they only shot on Eagle Lake and Tule 

 Lake ; although it is probable that they shot on other neighboring 

 waters. The ranchers of the country around these lakes seem to 



