382 Bird -Lore 



so near his heart. The memory of his name and his work will never fade as 

 long as men take note of the feathered guardians cf the field, or lift their heads 

 to listen to the wild, sweet music in the trees. 



AUDUBON WARDEN WORK 



This Association's system of employing special guards to protect important 

 breeding-places of water-birds cannot for one moment be relaxed. This is one 

 expense that has to be met every summer, no matter how limited the funds 

 may be or how strong the calls come for expenditures in other directions. Sad 

 experience has shown that, especially in the case of the nesting Egrets, a colony 

 left unguarded means a colony in which the birds are sure to be shot. 



During the past year we employed thirty-seven wardens. Each man had 

 charge of from one to three, or in some cases more, breeding colonies. The 

 distribution of the wardens was as follows : New York, i ; Massachusetts, i ; 

 Virginia, i ; Georgia, i ; North Carolina, i ; Mississippi, i ; South Carolina, 2 ; 

 Michigan, 2; Louisiana, 3; Florida, 11; and Maine, 13. 



The nesting season of 1920 was a fairly good one in the guarded colonies. 

 The loss of life from natural causes, such as high tides and storms, was not 

 greater than on an average normal year, and no raids of consequence were 

 carried out by feather hunters. 



During the spring the United States Biological Survey detailed special 

 agents to operate in Florida in order to break up, as far as possible, the illegal 

 traffic in aigrettes. Your Secretary had supplied the Chief of the Biological 

 Survey with a long list of names of people who had been reported to be engaged 

 either in the killing of birds or shipping of plumes in that state. We were 

 informed that this list would be made a basis for the operations of the Govern- 

 ment's agents. To assist in carrying on this work the National Association 

 appropriated $1,600 for the Survey's uses. A large amount of patrolling was 

 done by these wardens in South Florida with much beneficial attending pubhcity. 

 Also some violators of the law were apprehended and fined; notably a man 

 named Mackenson of Kissimmee. For twelve years the National Association 

 had been receiving reports that this man was supposed to be engaged in the 

 business of buying and shipping aigrettes, but it was only the past year, and 

 by the Government's assistance, that he was finally brought to the bar of 

 justice. 



We have no Audubon wardens located in New York City, although we 

 could use one or more to most excellent advantage. Members of the Association 

 and others often report violations of the bird and game laws by letter or tele- 

 phone. These reports we at once place in the hands of the state game warden 

 department of the state from which the complaints were received, and many 

 prosecutions have resulted. 



