Editorials 



93 



Hirti'iCore 



A Bi-monthly Magazine 

 Devoted to the Study and Protection of Birds 



OFFICIAL <1RGAN OP THF. AUDUBON SOCIETIES 



Edited by FRANK M. CHAPMAN 

 Published by THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 



Vol. II 



June, 1900 



No. 3 



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COPYRIGHTED, 1900, BY FRANK M. CHAPMAN. 



Bird-Lore's Motto: 

 A Bird in the Bush is Worth Two in the Hand. 



On page 98 we print a communication 

 from the Millinery Merchants' Protective 

 Association, the importance of which is 

 obvious. It is addressed to William 

 Dutcher and Witmer Stone, as represen- 

 tatives of the American Ornithologists' 

 Union, and to the Audubon Societies, 

 through the editor of this magazine. 

 As the Audubon Societies, unfortu- 

 nately, have no Federated Committee to 

 which this matter could be referred for 

 action, it will be necessary for each 

 Society to consider the Milliners' prop- 

 osition independently It is, therefore, 

 requested that the matter receive the 

 prompt and careful consideration which 

 it so evidently deserves, and that the 

 result of such consideration be communi- 

 cated to the Editor of Bird-Lore for 

 transmission to the Secretary of the 

 Milliners' Association. 



Without attempting to weigh the mer- 

 its of the proposed agreement, we would 

 call the attention of the Audubon So- 

 cieties to two points : 



First. No definite time is mentioned 

 when the plumage of North American 

 birds will not be used by milliners, but 

 on calling the attention of the Secretary 

 of their association to this omission, he 



states that two fall seasons will be re- 

 quired to fully dispose of the stock on 

 hand, and names January i, 1902, as 

 the final date when North American 

 birds will be used by the members of 

 the Milliners' Association. 



.S'ecofid. The Audubon Societies are 

 asked only to use their best eftbrts to 

 prevent the passage of laws prohibiting 

 the use of the feathers of the "barnyard 

 fowl, edible birds and game birds killed 

 in their season, and all birds which are 

 not North American birds." Doubtless 

 many members of the Audubon Socie- 

 ties believe that foreign birds are fully 

 as deserving of protection as are North 

 American birds, and without for a mo- 

 ment denying the justice of the claim, 

 we would ask them whether it is pos- 

 sible for us to make laws protecting 

 foreign birds, and if, as we believe, it 

 is not, should we sacrifice North Amer- 

 ican birds to a fruitless principle ? 



We cannot hope to abolish the trade 

 in feathers, but if, by a concession, we 

 can so control it that our native birds 

 shall be exempt from its demands, we 

 shall have afforded them a measure of 

 protection we had not expected to secure 

 in this generation nor the next. 



We therefore bespeak for the Milli- 

 ners' proposition such fair and unbiased 

 treatment as will enable us to avail our- 

 selves of its benefits 



Assemblyman Hallock deserves the 

 thanks of all bird lovers for his efforts 

 in securing the passage of the amend- 

 ment to the law protecting non-game 

 birds, which makes the sale or possession 

 for sale of any part of certain protected 

 birds an actionable offence. The enforce- 

 ment of this law will assure complete 

 protection for song-birds from the de- 

 mands of commerce. 



The Lacey bill passed Congress by a 

 vote of 141 to 27. The bill (No. 6634) 

 has been referred to the Senate Com- 

 mittee on Interstate Commerce, and it 

 is hoped that all bird lovers will write 

 Hon. Shelby M. Cullom, Chairman of 

 this Committee, urging its passage with- 

 out amendment. 



