The Audubon Societies 



i37 



Very excellent work has been done by 

 Mrs. Julia Edwards in the Fourteenth Dis- 

 trict of the Illinois Federation of Women's 

 Clubs, Mrs. Edwards having formed Audu- 

 bon committees in a number of the clubs, 

 some of which are doing fine work. At 

 the biennial meeting of the Federation in 

 Los Angeles the Illinois birds had a spokes- 

 man in Mrs. Wheelock, of Evanston. 



An ' Outline of Bird Study ' for the use 

 of teachers, etc., has been prepared by the 

 Committee on Bird Study, giving lists of 

 books, etc. 



Some of the dreams we have been 

 dreaming during these five years are be- 

 coming realities, and we now have two 

 traveling libraries ready to start on their 

 travels. Among the books are bound vol- 

 umes of some of the bulletins issued by the 

 Agricultural Department at Washington 

 and the delightful Arbor and Bird Day 

 Annuals published by the State of Wiscon- 

 sin. Another dream — that of an illustrated 

 lecture to be sent to schools, clubs, etc., 

 throughout the state — will also soon become 

 a delightful fact, and we hope to have it 

 ready for work in the autumn. A third 

 dream — a law incorporating Bird Day with 

 Arbor Day — is still a dream — but we trust 

 that, too, will materialize during the com- 

 ing year. 



The work of the Society has so increased 

 that it has become necessary to make a sep- 

 arate department of the junior work, and 

 Mrs. William M. Scudder, of 604 E. Di- 

 vision street, Chicago, has been made 

 chairman of this department. An interest- 

 ing feature of the junior work has been the 

 response to an offer made in the little pa- 

 per, ' By the Wayside,' of a prize for the 

 best list of proverbs and familiar sayings 

 about birds. The result was so surprising 

 that jive prizes were sent, the first going to 

 a little Wisconsin girl of ten, who sent in a 

 list of 320 such proverbs, etc. ! 



Very excellent work is done by some of 

 our teachers and county superintendents of 

 schools. Among the latter, that of Mr. 

 Orville T. Bright and Mr. A. D. Curran 

 is worthy of special mention. 



Our latest work is the sending, in this 

 'leafy month of June,' to all the 550 



wholesale and retail milliners of Chicago, 

 as well as to some in our smaller towns, a 

 short but clear statement of the state law on 

 the purchase and sale of birds, with a few 

 words of suggestion, appeal and warning. 

 Inclosed with each of these statements sent 

 to the Chicago milliners was a copy of Mr. 

 William Dutcher's leaflet, ' Save the Birds.' 

 And so the good work goes on. Much 

 has been done; more remains undone; but 

 with such a noble board of directors as this 

 Society is blessed with, it would be impos- 

 sible for any secretary to feel otherwise than 

 full of hope and of a good courage. 



Mary Drummond, Serretary. 



Minnesota Audubon Society 



At the annual meeting held April 5, 

 1902, John W. Taylor was elected presi- 

 dent and Sarah L. Putnam, secretary, they 

 being the officers of last year. The reports 

 show a membership of at least 1,800, and 

 more interest shown throughout the state 

 this spring than at any time during the 

 existence of the Society. 



On April ro, the Society issued a circu- 

 lar stating that the Lacey Law would be 

 enforced against all milliners and others 

 having in their possession or offering for 

 sale ' protected ' dead birds, their skins or 

 feathers. The woods and parks in and 

 around the cities are being posted, giving 

 notice to boys and others not to kill or 

 annoy birds or their nests. The superin- 

 tendents of the schools have been asked to 

 see that Bird Day, April 18, be observed 

 fully and the day devoted to the study of 

 birds by the children. Literature has been 

 sent out through the state, but on account 

 of lack of funds this has been much more 

 limited than we could have wished. Mr. 

 F. M. Chapman delivered some very in- 

 teresting lectures at different towns, which 

 resulted in good to the cause. 



A system of outdoor classes for bird study 

 is being conducted by Professor Lange and 

 promises to be very helpful. We have 

 every reason to feel gratified at the success 

 of the work already done. The want of 

 funds cramps us exceedingly. Just how to 

 secure money is a problem not yet solved. 



