28o 



Bird - Lore 



Mr. Gregg is a Life Member of the Na- 

 tional Association of Audubon Societies and 

 greatly interested in all the Association's 

 activities for the protection of wild birds and 

 animals. With a view of receiving confir- 

 mation of the information that had come to 

 him, the following telegram, on August 26, 

 was forwarded to Governor Carey, president 

 of the State Game Commission of Wyoming. 



National Association of Audubon Societies 

 for the Protection of Wild Birds and Animals 

 is alarmed at report that you are granting 

 permission to kill one hundred buck antelope. 

 Please wire facts, 1974 Broadway, New York. 



(Signed) T. Gilbert Pearson, President. 



If licenses had already been issued to kill 

 seventy-five antelope it would probably have 

 been too late to save the slaughter of this 

 many animals, but it might be possible to 

 induce the authorities not to issue the re- 

 maining twenty-five licenses. 

 His reply received next day was as follows : 

 No licenses have been granted for the 

 killing of buck antelope. Matter will be con- 

 sidered by Game Commission within a few 

 days. (Signed) Robert D. Carey, Governor. 



It was a great joy to find that no permits 

 whatever had thus far been granted. There 

 was, therefore, a possibility of accomplishing 

 much by speedy action. Tbe Association 

 immediately filed a formal protest in the 

 following message : 



Governor Robert D. Carey, 



Cheyenne, Wyoming. 



On behalf of Audubon Societies of the 

 United States I respectfully urge you refrain 

 from granting permits to kill one hundred 

 antelope. 



(Signed) T. Gilbert Pearson, President. 



At the same time every effort was made 

 from our New York office to get in touch 

 with officials of various national organiza- 

 tions interested in the protection of wild life. 

 The Conservation Committee of the Camp- 

 Fire Club of America was notified, as was 

 also J. Horace McFarland, President of the 

 American Civic Association. To Edmund 

 Seymour, President of the American Bison 

 Society, the matter was explained over the 

 telephone. He imniediately sent a strong 

 telegram of protest. A wire was sent to 

 Mr. Gregg informing him that Dr. Grinnell, 



of the Boone and Crocket Club, was in 

 Montana, and Mr. Gregg reached him. Mr. 

 Holland, Vice-President of the American. 

 Game Protective Association was advised, 

 and telegraphed his objections. A telegram 

 was sent to Madison Grant, Secretary of the 

 New York Zoological Society, who was at 

 that time in Victoria, British Columbia. 

 Mr. Grant wired a very strong protest ta 

 Governor Carey against the killing of these 

 animals. We also explained the situation 

 by wire to the Chicago office of the Asso- 

 ciated Press, with the result that the general 

 public in the West was notified as to what 

 was going on. 



In conclusion it need only be added that 

 on the morning of September 7, 192 1, the 

 following message was received from Mr. 

 Gregg. 



Yellowstone Park, Wyoming. 

 T. Gilbert Pearson, 



President, Audubon Society, 

 1974 Broadway, New York. 



Livingston paper prints a despatch from 

 Cheyenne that, following protests from sev- 

 eral national game protection societies, the 

 Wyoming Game Commission decided not to 

 issue permits to hunters to kill one hundred 

 antelope and reducing moose permits to 

 fifty. You have done fine work with happ-' 

 and prompt results. Dan Beard who is here 

 joins me in congratulations. 



(Signed) William C. Gregg. 



Such action as the above is taken very 

 frequently by the Home Office of the Na- 

 tional Association and this has been the 

 custom for many years. Often very little is 

 said of these things in a public way, for it is 

 not always wise to advertise the fact that a 

 large series of protests really are stimulated 

 from one source. However, it has been de- 

 cided to make some mention of this case in 

 order that our membership may know some- 

 thing of the methods the Association em- 

 ploys in its fight for the preservation of 

 America's wild life. It also indicates the 

 very great advantage of having a large 

 active membership, and shows how one 

 member may help the cause. But for Mr. 

 Gregg's timely warning, it is altogether pos- 

 sible that permits would have been issued in 

 Wyoming to kill as many as one hundred bull 

 moose and the same number of the rapidly 

 disappearing antelope. 



