°ggj5 J Report of Committee on Bird Protect ion. lOI 



teaching in the schools of Sioux City, and at a meeting of the 

 N. W. Iowa Teachers' Association I will be able to reach one- 

 fourth of the entire State; there were over looo teachers in 

 attendance last year. Through the public schools on liird Day 

 we ought to be able to turn public opinion against the wearing of 

 feathers, wherein death or cruelty is necessary to obtain them." 



One of the members of the Union, Mr. Wm. E. Praeger of 

 Keokuk, has done a large amount of excellent work, especially in 

 lecturing in his locality, and also in contributing matter on bird 

 protection to the public press of Iowa. He summarizes the work 

 as follows : '■ I do not know that an Audubon Society has been 

 started, but I have heard that the subject of bird protection is 

 being agitated in a number of large cities in the State. Fort 

 Madison has the honor of being the first city in Iowa to establish 

 a Bird Day in its public schools; this was in 1896 ; last May an 

 afternoon was devoted to birds in our Keokuk schools ; the 

 observance was a success, and Bird Day will probably be an 

 annual institution here and in other cities of our State. I had 

 the pleasure of speaking twice in public on the subject of bird 

 protection last spring, and I am glad to know that my efforts have 

 been rewarded, not only by the observance of Bird Day, but by 

 the awakening of considerable interest in and sympathy for the 

 birds. This shows itself in many ways. I may mention that a 

 few days since a leading milliner in the town told me that the 

 reduction in the demand for feathers was very noticeable in his 

 business, many ladies refusing to wear them. He also said that 

 if he could only get rid of his present stock he would not be sorry 

 for this, as ribbons and flowers were more easily and profitably 

 handled than feathers." 



Miss J. E. Hamand, a member of our Union, of Schaller, Iowa, 

 has also done excellent individual work ; she writes : " A local 

 Audubon Society was founded in June of the present year ; we 

 have had four regular meetings, and have a membership of 104; 

 we have secured the co-operation of our teachers, who are taking 

 up the work in our schools. Our milliners gave no bird orders this 

 fall. I have talked at two County teachers' meetings when 60 or 

 70 were present ; also distributed the United States Department 

 of Agriculture Circular No. 17, with bird leaflets. 



