^otes from JFielti anti ^tubp 



Brookline Bird Club 



The Brookline, Massachusetts, Bird 

 Club was organized in June, 1913, at a 

 meeting of a handful of people held in the 

 Public Library. It was found, upon in- 

 quiry, that there were many residents of 

 the town, both adults and minors, who 

 were interested in the study and preserva- 

 tion of birds, and others who only needed 

 an incentive to become thoroughly fasci- 

 nated by the subject. 



It was further discovered that, while 

 nature-study is taught in the elementary 

 grades of the public schools, the study of 

 birds is almost optional with the teachers, 

 and it remains with them whether or not 

 their efforts are more than superficial. 

 Instructors who are not interested in a 

 subject do not interest their pupils. 

 Brookline has grown with such rapidity 

 during the last ten years that it is no 

 longer a small town of fine residences and 

 large estates. The ornithologist, aside 

 from the fine park system, must now go 

 further into the country to find the rarer 

 birds, and few people know where to go. 

 It was thus necessary, not only to arouse 

 and enthuse, but to lead them to the 

 proper parts of the surrounding country, 

 where the opportunities for becoming 

 acquainted with many species are excep- 

 tionally good. The forestry department 

 of the town, than which there is none more 

 efficient in the state, has done fine work 

 under Supt. Daniel Lacey in exterminating 

 many varieties of insect pests. This de- 

 partment also feeds the birds in winter, 

 has put up some four hundred nesting- 

 boxes in different parts of the town, and, 

 after studying the subject carefully, has 

 came to the very logical conclusion that the 

 birds must be protected and encouraged 

 to live in the town if the fight against the 

 insects is to be successful. 



The cooperation of this department 

 with the Bird Club has become of much 



mutual benefit. At the organization meet- 

 ing, a tentative plan was agreed upon, 

 and the drawing up of a constitution was 

 intrusted to a small committee. A second 

 meeting was held, the constitution adopted, 

 officers elected, and the club launched. 

 Permission was granted by the trustees of 

 the Public Library for the use of a large 

 room by the new association, bulletin 

 space was given, books on ornithology 

 were bought and set aside for special use, 

 and the privilege of having mail sent there 

 was agreed upon. Publicity was given 

 freely in both of the local papers and the 

 Boston press, so that many applications 

 for membership came from unexpected 

 quarters. At the close of the first year, 

 500 names are on the membership book. 

 The officers are five in number, president, 

 vice-president, secretary, corresponding 

 secretary, and treasurer. There are seven- 

 teen directors, including the officers. The 

 Club has four classes of membership: Life, 

 Sustaining, Senior, and Junior. Life mem- 

 bership is obtained by the payment of ten 

 dollars, and this exempts the payer from 

 further dues. Sustaining membership 

 requires a subscription of five dollars, and 

 the subscriber is not called upon for the 

 yearly fee. Senior members must be over 

 fourteen years of age, and contribute 50 

 cents per year. Those under 14 years of 

 age are juniors and are charged 25 cents 

 per annum. 



The membership dues were placed as 

 low as possible, in order that no one should 

 find the amount burdensome, and that 

 all should receive as much as could be 

 given for the lowest fee. 



Walks for senior members were arranged 

 Saturday afternoons, and bulletins giving 

 the date, place, leader, carfare, and 

 and general information, were mailed to 

 each member. These walks were so success- 

 ful that, another year, two separate 

 walks will^be^scheduled each Saturday, 

 to accommodate the large numbers that 



(353) 



