No. 4.] REPORT OF STATE ORNITHOLOGIST. 243 



material. The matter, however, was not carried further by 

 Congress that year, but when the next Congress convened, 

 early in January, 1913, an attempt to create public sentiment 

 in favor of this bill was made by the National Association of 

 Audubon Societies of New York, the New York Zoological 

 Society and the American Game Protective and Propagation 

 Association. This latter association, then recently organized, 

 began waging a vigorous and well-directed campaign indi- 

 rectly through its membership, and directly in Congress by 

 its president, Mr. John J. Burnham, and its vice-president, 

 Mr. William H. Haskell. Their efforts, together with those 

 of the game commissioners of the country and a great number 

 of protective associations, Audubon societies, granges and in- 

 terested individuals, notably Mi^. Henry Ford of Detroit, 

 Mich., turned the tide in favor of the bill. A hearing was 

 given before the Senate committee to those desirous of being 

 heard on January 14, and on January 23 the bill was passed 

 by the Senate. As the session was short the officers of the 

 American Game Protective and Propagation Association im- 

 mediately planned a vigorous campaign in the House. In- 

 fluence was brought to bear from nearly every part of the 

 United States, but many other important matters were 

 pressing for action, and it seemed impossible to bring the bill 

 to a vote. As it carried an appropriation of $10,000 it was 

 finally added to the agricultural appropriation bill and 

 passed with the bill in the last days of the session. 



This is the most far-reaching and effective law that has 

 ever been passed for the protection of migratory birds. It 

 gives the United States Department of Agriculture the power 

 to regulate the open and closed seasons for migratory game 

 and insectivorous birds throughout the United States, the reg- 

 ulations to go into effect when signed by the President. A 

 series of regulations, and a comprehensive plan for their en- 

 forcement, were worked out by a committee from the 

 Biological Survey, United States Department of Agriculture, 

 composed of Dr. T. S. Palmer, Prof. Wells W. Cook and Dr. 

 A. K. Fisher. An advisory committee was appointed, also, 

 to confer with these gentlemen, including ornithologists and 

 game protectors in many parts of the United States, of which 



