454 Bird - Lore 



Through the courtesy of the secretary of the Young Men's Christian Asso- 

 ciation, we have the use of a room in its building for our Saturday-evening 

 meetings and popular bird-talks. These meetings are well attended and arouse 

 much interest. T. Gilbert Pearson, of the National Association of Audubon 

 Societies, and Vernon Bailey, of the United States Biological Survey, addressed 

 our members at a meeting in August. In this room we have an exhibit of 

 mounted bird-skins, nests, photographs, prints, etc., which we find useful for 

 study, comparison and illustration. — Emma J. Welty, Corresponding Secretary. 



Audubon Society of Rhode Island. — In cooperation with the Park 

 Museum, bird-lectures have been given at the Museum to 713 children, and 

 26 others to 2,879 adults and children at schools or organizations outside the 

 Museum; all of these lectures have been given by the secretary or by the 

 librarian of the Society, Miss Eva W. Magoon. The circulation of the traveling 

 libraries has amounted to 4,823 among 1,136 persons within the state; while 

 the circulation of the Society's permanent library at the Museum has been 

 2,695 among 400 persons. In cooperation with the National Association of 

 Audubon Societies, 55 new Junior Classes have been formed during the year, 

 representing 1,280 children. 



As a direct result of the Junior work, early morning field-trips for bird- 

 study have been conducted throughout the spring, with a total attendance of 

 275. This field-work for children was conducted at Roger Williams Park, the 

 party with their teacher leaving the Museum at 7 a.m., spending an hour and 

 a half on bird-study, and returning in time for the opening of school. Satur- 

 day-morning trips for adults were conducted in Roger Williams Park for two 

 months by Miss Eva W. Magoon and Mrs. Fannie H. Eckstorm. Wednesday- 

 morning trips for adults were conducted by Mrs. H. E. Walter, Miss M. 

 Elizabeth Bates, and Charles H. Abbott. These latter trips were taken in a 

 large park at the northern end of the city. 



The most valuable and interesting work of the Society during the past 

 two years has been that done at Block Island by Miss Elizabeth Dickens. 

 Situated directly in the migration-path of the birds, Block Island affords an 

 unusual opportunity for observation. Of special importance is the fact that 

 Miss Dickens has sent valuable records made by herself and her father to the 

 United States Department of Agriculture; Miss Dickens has also made regular 

 monthly visits to the schools of Block Island, in the name of the Audubon 

 Society, and has so interested the pupils in the protection of birds that some 

 of the children have made bits of careful observation, have become extremely 

 interested in bird-banding, have erected bird-boxes, and have been instru- 

 mental in creating a strong sentiment for protection of birds. Work of this 

 sort deserves special mention not only because it shows what one person may 

 do in a small community but because the work is being carefully and scien- 

 tifically done by children. — H. L. Madison, Secretary. 



