O/L Report of Commiitee on Bird Protection. r " 



Chapman's 'The Wearing of Heron's Plumes or Aigrettes ' ; 'An 

 Artist's Appeal,' by Abbott Thayer, and many of the Government 

 pamphlets. We have also prepared for sale an Audubon Calendar 

 for 1898. 



" In June a law was passed by our legislature to prohibit the 

 use of Massachusetts song birds in millinery. It has been impos- 

 sible to enforce this law, but its enactment has aroused much 

 interest in the subject, and brought to the Society both friends 

 and enemies. 



" We are convinced that there is great need of the work, but 

 are certain that it will take time and much patient, earnest effort 

 to accomplish it, and only by the hearty co-operation of all persons 

 interested in birds can we hope to overcome this long-established 

 but barbarous custom of wearing feathers for ornamentation." 



In addition to the work of the Massachusetts Audubon Society, 

 Mr. George H. Mackay, of our Committee, has done exceedingly 

 valuable work, which is detailed in his report herewith attached : 



" In submitting my report for the year ending November, 1897, 

 I beg leave to state that the number of things calling for experi- 

 enced attention during the past year has been unusually large. 



" After much thought, I formulated a protective bill for our 

 birds in general, based on investigations made in Washington and 

 elsewhere. This bill was presented in the Senate at the begin- 

 ning of the session (being bill No. 17). After much preliminary 

 work, under adverse conditions — my own senator and the House 

 Chairman and Senate Chairman of the Fish and Game Committee 

 being antagonistic — ■ I succeeded in getting it through the Com- 

 mittee, and afterwards through the Senate, only to meet defeat 

 later on in the House, in consequence of the influence of cold 

 storage and market men, who were strongly opposed to the bill. 

 The work entailed, under the circumstances, having been con- 

 siderable, the disappointment was commensurate. I shall try it 

 again the coming winter, which will be the third attempt. 



" In order to better carry out certain protective work I have 

 had a Deputy Fish and Game Commissioner appointed for the 

 past two years. 



" At the hearings given by the Committee on Fisheries and 

 Game on the nineteen bills which were presented, some of them 



