The Audubon Societies 



97 



the winter home of Robins, that they may 

 receive there the same care that is given 

 them in other parts of the country ? — W.D. 



Alien License Law 



Apropos of the discussion now going on 

 in several states in regard to license laws, 

 it may be noted that, as might be expected, 

 the strongest reason for a high alien 

 license is furnished by the actions of 

 aliens themselves. The most important 

 feature of the license is not revenue 

 (though that has its importance and is 

 equitable), but the fact that it restricts 

 many aliens (largely Italians) from hunt- 

 ing at all, and enables wardens to more 

 easily investigate the hunting done by 

 those who continue to go gunning. 



Coming from a country devoid of ap- 

 preciation of the economic value of birds, 

 and where the smallest of feathered 

 creatures are considered legitimate prey 

 and food for man, Italians are strongly 

 inclined to shoot the song birds of this 

 country, as the most easily secured dainty 

 to add to a none too varied larder. Despite 

 the plea that has been made for them by 

 some of the newspapers, viciousness, 

 quite as much as ignorance of the law, is 

 shown by these aliens, as evinced by fre- 

 quent assaults on wardens who are en- 

 forcing the laws. The case of game war- 

 den, Daniel Edwards, of Beacon Falls, 

 Conn., whose face was filled with shot 

 by an Italian violator of the game law, 

 is still fresh in mind. This is. perhaps, the 

 most atrocious case, but the news items 

 coming into the National Association 

 office contain very many accounts of lesser 

 assaults and threatened assaults on war- 

 dens. 



Some months since, one of our special 

 wardens, an enthusiastic bird student 

 and earnest protectionist, was trying to 

 check some of the violations he had fre- 

 quently witnessed on his outing trips near 

 New York. On September 14, last, he 

 "found an Italian, at Rockaway Beach, 

 about one and one-half miles from the 

 railroad station, using two wounded Semi- 

 palmated Sandpipers as decoys. I told 



him that he was violating the law, but he 

 pretended not to understand me. I 

 picked up one of the struggling birds, 

 when he said, in fairly good English, 

 'let go, or I shoot!' I walked toward him 

 holding the bird behind me, intending to 

 explain the case to him. We were then 

 about ten or fifteen yards apart. He dis- 

 charged one barrel of his gun, intending, 

 I believe, to scare me. Although most of 

 the shot went wild, four pellets lodged in 

 my right leg, below the knee. Seeing that 

 he had hit me, he turned and ran, with 

 his bag, in the direction of Jamaica Bay, 

 where there are numerous small houses. 

 I tried to follow him, but my leg incon- 

 venienced me and I was soon out-dis- 

 tanced. Returning to the beach, I killed 

 the remaining bird, having killed the 

 other while talking to the Italian. I then 

 removed two of the pellets, being unable 

 to dislodge the other two, as the calf of 

 my leg was already inflamed. I hurried 

 home and dressed my leg, removing the 



other two shot next morning 



I have been to Rockaway twice since then 

 but I have not encountered my assailant 

 again." 



An alien license, high enough to be al- 

 most prohibitive, in all states where aliens 

 are found in numbers (which means 

 almost every state in the Union), is one 

 of the most important measures of game 

 legislation, not only in the interests of 

 the preservation of game, but also for the 

 better safe-guarding of life and limb of 

 the wardens. — B. S. Bowdish. 



The Plume Trade* 



The official report of the feather sale of 

 August 2d states that there was a small 

 quantity of "Osprey" feathers offered, 

 and only a small attendance of buyers. 

 The quantity catalogued was 315 packages. 

 The Birds-of-Paradise offered numbered 

 3,831, besides seven packages; all sold at 

 a decline in prices. Albatross wing quills 

 fetched h d. to 3J d. each. Bustard wing 

 quills 4 d. to 4^ d. a bundle, the pro- 

 vision of quills being very large. Emu 

 skins were 10 s. each, and Crested Pi- 



