The Audubon Societies 



217 



four of the deputy game-wardens, who have 

 all the powers of the other game-wardens 

 (see Bird-Lore, June, p. 184). 



Louisiana. — President Miller, of the Au- 

 dubon Society, has just returned from a trip 

 to the Breton Island Reservation and the 

 other islands in charge of Wardens Sprinkle 

 and Halford He says: "I wonder at the 

 faithful performance of duty by these war- 

 dens, owing to the unprecedented numbers 

 of green flies which make life a misery. 

 Even now, when they are disappearing, they 

 are so bad that they drove me in ; I simply 

 could not endure them.' Thanks to the good 

 work of the wardens, the coast of Louisiana 

 is richer by between 15,000 to 20,000 young 

 Laughing Gulls, Royal, Wilson's and 

 Cabot's Terns. It is a grand showing, an 

 inspiring sight which I wish you could see. 

 We have strong evidence and can undoubt- 

 edly make a good case against the crew of 

 the Schooner Alpha for egging. Am now 

 working on it and shall push it to the 

 limit." 



Massachusetts.— Excellent work is being 

 done by the State Fish and Game Commis- 

 sion, the president of which is Dr G. W. 

 Field, a member of the Executive Com- 

 mittee of the Massachusetts Audubon So- 

 ciety. The dealers in aigrettes were notified 

 as follows: " I beg to call your attention 

 to our state laws covering the possession or 

 wearing, for the purpose of dress or orna- 

 ment, the body or feathers of insectivorous 

 or wild birds, whether taken in this com- 

 monwealth or elsewhere. This law covers 

 the skins and feathers or parts thereof espe- 

 cially of insectivorous birds. Herons (aig- 

 rettes). Gulls, Terns, shore-birds, etc., 

 'whenever and wherever taken.' We re- 

 spectfully suggest that you can best observe 

 the spirit and letter of the law bj' removing 

 from sale all such feathers, and return them 

 to the wholesalers; and, further, by refusing 

 to buy or sell such feathers, aigrettes, etc. 

 Certain dealers are claiming that the bird 

 laws are not to be enforced, or that their 

 particular goods, notably aigrettes, are man- 

 ufactured, and therefore not prohibited by 

 this law. In case such statements are made, 

 the writer will be glad to give an opinion as 

 to whether any particular feathers come 



within the scope of the law, and whether 

 such are liable to seizure, and the possessor 

 liable to arrest. 



" The state authorities entrusted with the 

 protection of bird-life wish to secure results 

 with the least possible hardship to the pub- 

 lic and the ' trade," and therefore ask your 

 cooperation. 



" In any event, however, we beg to for- 

 mally notify you that we shall use every legit- 

 imate means to enforce the laws of the com- 

 monwealth, and all persons having such 

 birds and feathers in possession, whether as 

 dealers or wearers, are liable to arrest." 



Oregon. — Messrs Bohlman and Finley, 

 the well-known bird photographers and 

 students, have been appointed special deputy 

 game-wardens, and have gone to the exten- 

 sive breeding grounds in the saline lakes in 

 southeastern Oregon, where they will carry 

 on their studies and photography, and at the 

 same time protect the breedincr colonies of 

 water-birds, as the representatives of the 

 National Association. It is proposed to 

 have them give an illustrated account of 

 their summer's work at the annual meeting 

 of the Association in October next. 



Delaware. — At the last session of the 

 Delaware legislature, at the request of the 

 Audubon Society, the penalty clause of the 

 model law, passed in 1901, was amended as 

 follows : "Any fines collected by any Justice 

 of the Peace or Constable of this State, under 

 the provisions of this Act, shall be forthwith 

 paid by him to the Treasurer of the Dela- 

 ware Audubon Society." This refers to the 

 fines for the illegal killing of non-game 

 birds, and should result in a fund of consid- 

 erable size which will be used for bird pro- 

 tection and educational purposes. It would 

 be a wise move on the part of every state to 

 follow the example of Delaware and North 

 Carolina, which has a similar law. It is 

 very certain that disinterested and public- 

 spirited citizens like those engaged in Au- 

 dubon work will administer a fund resulting 

 from fines much more satisfactorily than will 

 the ordinary game commission, which is 

 generally composed of politicians, although 

 there are some very marked exceptions to 

 this rule, for instance, in Massachusetts and 

 some other states. — W. D. 



