EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT 



Edited by T. GILBERT PEARSON. Secretary 



Address all correspondence, and send all remittances for dues and contributions, to 



the National Association of Audubon Societies, 1974 Broadway, New York City. 



Telephone, Columbus 7327 



William Dutcher, President 

 Frederic A. Lucas, Acting President T. Gilbert Pearson, Secretary 



Theodore S. Palmer, First Vice-President Jonathan Dwight, Treasurer 



Samuel T. Carter, Jr., Attorney 



Any person, club, school or company in sympathy with the objects of this Association may become 

 a member of it, and all are welcome. 



Classes of Membership in the National Association of Audubon Societies for the Protection of Wild 

 Birds and Animals: 



$5 annually pays for a Sustaining Membership 

 $100 paid at one time constitutes a Life Membership 

 $1,000 constitutes a person a Patron 

 $5,000 constitutes a person a Founder 

 $25,000 constitutes a person a Benefactor 



Form of Bequest: — I do hereby give and bequeath to the National Association of Audubon 

 Societies for the Protection of Wild Birds and Animals (Incorporated), of the City of New York. 



MIGRATORY BIRD TREATY ACT SAFE 



On April 19, 1920, the United States 

 Supreme Court officially upheld the con- 

 stitutionality of the Migratory Bird 

 Treaty Act. Justice Holmes, in delivering 

 the opinion of the Court, made use of the 

 following significant language: 



"But for the treaty and the statute there 

 soon might be no birds for any powers to 

 deal with. We see nothing in the Consti- 

 tution that compels the Government to sit 

 by while a food-supply is cut off and the 

 protectors of our forests and our crops are 

 destroyed. It is not sufficient to rely upon 

 the States. The reliance is vain, and were 

 it otherwise, the question is whether the 

 United States is forbidden to act. We are 

 of opinion that the treaty and statute must 

 be upheld." 



By this action the final step was taken 

 in the long fight for Federal control of the 

 migratory birds which was begun by 

 George Shiras, 3d, when, in December, 

 1904, he introduced a bill in Congress for 

 the purpose of transferring the authority' 

 for looking after the fortunes of rriigratory 

 birds from the State to the Federal 

 Government. 



It will be a matter of interest to members 

 of the Audubon Society to learn that this 

 original bill intended to cover only mi- 

 gratory game-birds. Subsequent bills were 

 of the same character. The National Asso- 

 ciation of Audubon Societies brought strong 

 pressure to bear to have the bills changed 

 so that they would cover all migratory 

 birds When the migratory bird law finally 

 was enacted and signed by President Taft 

 on March 4, 1913, it contained provisions 

 for protecting migratory insectivorous 

 birds, because of the fight made by the 

 National Association in their behalf. The 

 printed records show that of thirty-two 

 organizations represented at the hearing 

 when the bill was before Congress, the 

 National Association's representative alone 

 voiced dissatisfaction with the bill as it 

 was written ahd urged that it be changed 

 to include all valuable migratory birds. It 

 will be noted that it is regarding this 

 group of bird-life that Justice Holmes spoke 

 so strongly in rendering his decision. 



The following text of this important 

 Supreme Court decision is herewith re- 

 produced: 



)2) 



