ANNUAL EEPORT OF THE STATE ORNITHOLOGIST 

 EOR THE YEAR 1909. 



Work of the Yeae. 



A great demand has arisen for lectures by the State 

 Ornithologist ; therefore lecturing has been the chief educa- 

 tional work undertaken during the year 1909. Thirty free 

 lectures on the utility of birds and their protection have been 

 given during the year. The stereopticon has been used 

 chiefly for illustrating evening talks, and colored plates and 

 charts have been utilized mainly for the afternoon meetings. 

 The audiences have consisted largely of farmers and their 

 families, the members of agricultural organizations, teachers 

 and pupils in the schools and sportsmen. 



Laws for the better protection of birds were advocated by 

 the State Ornithologist before the legislative committee on 

 fisheries and game. Among others the following important 

 bills were passed : — 



A bill for the protection of wild fowl protects swans at all 

 times and wild ducks, geese and brant annually between 

 the thirty-first day of December and the fifteenth day of 

 September (Acts of 1909, chapter 421). 



A bill for the protection of shore, marsh and beach birds 

 establishes a perpetual close season for the kildeer plover and 

 piping plover, and an annual close season for all other 

 shore birds, excepting upland plover, between the thirty- 

 first day of December and the first day of August (Acts of 

 1909, chapter 508). The upland plover is protected by law 

 at all times under a previous enactment. 



These two bills were designed to confine all shooting of 

 migratory game birds to the fall months and the month of 

 December, but strong opposition developed, and at a confer- 

 ence between committees of the House and Senate a compro- 



