The Audubon Societies 



319 



WILLIAM DUTCHER AT 47 YEARS OF AGE 



adopted by many states and its principles 

 have been incorporated in the recent mi- 

 gratory bird treaty protecting the birds 

 which migrate between the United States 

 and Canada. 



In the meantime, in 1886, Mr. Dutcher 

 had been made an active member of' the 

 American Ornithologists' Union and the 

 following year was elected treasurer. This 

 office he continued to hold for sixteen 

 years, until other matters demanded so 

 much of his time that he felt obliged to 

 retire. Much of the success of the Union 

 during those years was due to the high 

 degree of efficiency with which he con- 

 ducted its affairs. 



With the increased destruction of birds 

 to meet the demands of the millinery trade, 

 the A. O. U. Committee on Protection of 

 North American Birds was reorganized in 

 1896. During the next decade Mr. Dutcher 

 was its most active member and served as 

 chairman in 1896 and 1897 and from 1901 

 to 1905. Under his energetic leadership 

 these were years of great activity and 

 progress in bird-protection. Audubon 

 Societies were organized in rapid succession 



in several states and when the necessity for 

 greater uniformity of effort became 

 apparent, a National Committee, com- 

 prising representatives from the state so- 

 cieties was formed in 1901. This was 

 really the founding of the National Asso- 

 ciation of Audubon Societies, which was 

 incorporated in January, 1905. At the 

 first meeting he was elected president and 

 continued in this office until his death. In 

 his annual report for 1904 he has given an 

 interesting 'History of the Audubon 

 Movement' during the preceding twenty 

 years. 



From 1896 to 1910 every important pro- 

 ject for bird-protection at home or abroad 

 received Mr. Dutcher's enthusiastic sup- 

 port. Prohibition of the traffic in sea- 

 birds' eggs on the Farallone Islands in 

 California, aiding the passage of the Lacey 

 Act in 1900, administering the Thayer 

 Fund for protecting colonies of Gulls and 

 Terns on the Atlantic coast, and taking 

 part in the various movements to prohibit 

 spring shooting, to stop the sale of aigrettes 

 and restrict the traffic in plumage, to assist 

 in the passage of hunting license laws so 



