43^ Bird -Lore 



my stay in Maryland. For the first time since the Audubon work started in 

 the South, Maryland stands at the head of the list in 1916, having organized 

 173 clubs with a membership of nearly 4,000 children. 



REPORT OF HENRY OLDYS, SPECIAL AGENT FOR 

 MARYLAND AND VIRGINIA 



It has always been found by those who have been active workers in the 

 field of bird-protection that the best way to reach the school- children is to 

 awaken the interest of the teachers. Consequently I was much pleased to be 

 commissioned to address summer gatherings of school-teachers in Maryland 

 and Virginia. Although some of these gatherings adjourned too early or con- 

 vened too late to come within the limits of my activities, yet I had excellent 

 opportunity to attend a number of meetings of first-class importance, and to 

 urge upon the educators there assembled the value and interest of forming 

 Junior Audubon Classes. 



I emphasized the fact, in all my lectures, that, apart from the oppor- 

 tunity they give to acquire or improve acquaintance with birds, these classes 

 furnish an incomparable medium of union between teacher and pupil — a com- 

 mon ground of interest in something outside of the curriculum. To make the 

 impression created as lasting as possible I distributed large quantities of circu- 

 lars, sample leaflets, sample pages from Bird-Lore, and sample buttons, 

 besides much more of a miscellaneous character. These were taken with avidity 

 by those present. I also obtained lists of the names and addresses of those 

 attending several of the gatherings spoken to, and saw that each person was 

 supplied later with suitable literature by mail. 



The places I visited were the summer schools at Richmond, Charlottesville, 

 Dublin, East Radford, and Harrisonburg, Virginia, and the Teachers' Insti- 

 tute at Cumberland, Maryland; and the number of instructors addressed 

 amounted in all to 1,250, some of whom were listeners more than once. 



It is pleasant to mention with appreciation the uniform courtesy received 

 and the special favors shown in several instances. It was also pleasant to note 

 wherever I went a more or less well-developed interest in birds and bird-pro- 

 tection. 



I could feel, everywhere, that I was not bringing an entirely new vision to 

 my audiences, but was merely emphasizing and expanding thoughts and 

 feelings already entertained. For various reasons, so apparent and so well 

 known as to need no exposition here, the South has lagged behind the North 

 in the growth of this interest. But the South is no longer virgin field. The 

 faithful and effective work that has already been done there has put the soil 

 in excellent condition for future laborers, and the latter are assured of a lively 

 and growing response to their appeals. There is every reason to anticipate 

 the gathering of larger and larger harvests. 



