i8o8 1 Report of Committee on Bird Protection. QC 



care with which he issues permits for scientific collectors, and 

 bars those who make skins to sell. These permits are usually 

 limited to one or two counties, and to one pair of each species. 

 They run from one month to a year. The Michigan statute 

 reads : ' No person or persons shall at any time or in any man- 

 ner whatever injure, kill or destroy or attempt to injure, kill or 

 destroy any robin, night hawk, whipporwill, finch, thrush, lark, 

 swallow, yellow bird, blue bird, brown thrasher, cat bird, wren, 

 martin, oriole, sea gull, woodpecker, bobolink or any song or 

 insectivorous bird excepting blackbird, bluejay, English sparrow 

 and butcher bird.' Their nests and eggs are also protected. 



" I wish we could get an ornithologist in the legislature., You 

 may depend upon me for anything possible." 



District of Columbia. 



On May i8, 1897, an Audubon Society was organized, with 

 Surgeon-General Geo. M. Sternberg, U. S. Army, as President 

 and Mrs. John Dewhurst Patten as Secretary. In its prospectus 

 particular emphasis is laid upon the fact that if women could 

 only realize the cruelty necessary to obtain wild birds" feathers 

 they would find it impossible to wear any feather to obtain which 

 a bird has been killed ; at the present time they have 74 mem- 

 bers. The Secretary reports : " We have now in press two good 

 leaflets, and it is proposed to have a circular letter from the 

 Principal of the Public Schools, commending the objects of the 

 Society, and to have a general meeting of the teachers, with a 

 view of arousing their interest in the Society. We desire, if 

 possible, to establish a normal course of ornithology similar to 

 that in botany. I believe there is a growing sentiment in favor 

 of bird protection, and I do not think there is as general use in 

 millinery of wild birds' feathers as there was last season. We 

 have one milliner on our list who has promised not to keep such 

 feathers in stock ; the others say they must supply what is 

 demanded. We propose to have a pin for the Society as an 

 especial attraction for children, with whom we feel the greatest 

 work can be done for the future, especially if we succeed in 

 getting a course of bird study in the schools. We do not feel 

 at all discouraoed but realize fuUv that all reforms are vervslow." 



