SIXTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE STATE 

 ORNITHOLOGIST. 



Educational and Legislative Work. 



During the year 1913 somewhat less than the usual num- 

 ber of free illustrated lectures on the utility of birds and the 

 means of increasing their numbers were given, owing to a 

 pressure of other educational work ; but the audiences at these 

 lectures have averaged much larger than at those given in 

 1912. The demand for lectures by the State Ornithologist 

 increases year by year. These talks have been the means of 

 interesting very many people in the protection of birds, have 

 induced citizens to put up thousands of nesting boxes for birds 

 within the past t^n years, and have encouraged greater num- 

 bers of people to feed and protect birds. 



A revision and enlargement of the State publication, " Use- 

 ful Birds and their Protection," which was undertaken late 

 in 1912, was completed and printed in 1913 in a fourth edi- 

 tion revised. The scientific names as published in the first 

 edition in 1907 have been brought down nearly to the date 

 of publication. An appendix regarding European methods 

 of attracting birds, and the planting of fruiting trees, shrubs 

 and vines for birds has been added, and the index has been 

 much amplified. 



Many newspaper articles have been written during the year 

 which have been published not only in the Massachusetts 

 press, but in other papers of New England and New York. 

 Such articles asking people to feed the birds in winter, and 

 giving directions therefor, and others explaining how useful 

 birds may be protected about the home, have thus been given 

 very wide circulation. Great numbers of letters inquiring 

 about these methods have been answered fully, and many 

 visits of instruction have been made to the homes of people 

 engaged in carrying out plans for protecting birds. 



