The Audubon Societies 



53 



During the recent marked fall in temper- 

 ature throughout the South, when thin ice 

 was made during two mornings at Pelican 

 Island, Warden Kroegel reports that about 

 one hundred and fifty young Pelicans, 

 mostly birds just hatched, perished as the 

 result of the freezing. On December 31, the 

 largest of the young Pelicans were beginning 

 to show wing-feathers; the cold did not 

 seem to hurt birds of this size at all. He 

 estimates that there are two thousand young 

 birds upon the reservation at this date. All 

 of the above shows the remarkable results 

 that can be achieved by perfect protec- 

 tion. 



At the Breton Island and Audubon Res- 

 ervation, Louisiana, great changes have 

 taken place. During the hurricane in Sep- 

 tember last, one of the largest islands in the 

 reservation. Grand Cochere, which was a 

 sand and shell heap, but an admirable 

 breeding place for Terns, was entirely ob- 

 literated, washed away, so that the birds 

 will have to seek another breeding place 

 during the next season. The same storm 

 carried away our house of refuge on Breton 

 Island, and every sign we had upon the 

 entire reservation. The largest island in the 

 reservation, Breton, was infested with musk- 

 rats and raccoons, but the hurricane and 

 consequent high tides swept over the island 

 completely and every vestige of animal life 

 was destroyed. This will make it an ad- 

 mirable breeding ground for the Terns, as 

 there will be no mammals to destroy the 

 young birds or eggs. 



The reservation covers about seven hun- 

 dred square miles of territory, in a part of 

 the Gulf subject to violent storms; therefore, 

 it has been deemed necessary for the safety 

 of our wardens, and in order that they 

 may patrol the territory more rapidly, to 

 furnish them with a seaworthy boat. An 

 order has been given for a boat forty-five 

 feet long, fourteen feet beam, schooner- 

 rigged, with an auxiliary engine of eighteen 

 horse-power. It will have accommodations 

 for four men and will be used exclusively 

 for patroling this large reservation, which 

 undoubtedly will in time become one of the 

 most wonderful of the bird-breeding grounds 

 in the western hemisphere. Warden Sprin- 



kle reports large numbers of Royal and Fos- 

 ter's Terns on the reservation as late as De- 

 cember 4, Black Skimmers December 9, 

 and Common Terns and Laughing Gulls 

 December 29. Wild birds soon discover 

 where they are not interfered with or an- 

 noyed, and remain there. 



Legislation 



The year 1907 bids fair to be one of the 

 most active legislative seasons ever experi- 

 enced by this Association, as will be seen 

 by the following outline of legislative work : 



Alabama. — A bill of the most advanced 

 character has been introduced. It embraces 

 the Model Law and the following features: 

 Short open seasons for game and birds ; non- 

 sale ; non-export ; establishment of a game 

 commission ; non-resident, alien and resi- 

 dent hunting licenses. A large amount of 

 educational work has been done and every 

 possible aid has been given to the Honor- 

 able John H. Wallace, Jr., who has taken 

 charge of the bill. Vice-President Palmer 

 visited the Alabama legislature for the pur- 

 pose of fully explaining and advocating the 

 bill. , 



California. — This state is a hotbed, at 

 the present time, of legislative activity, and 

 there will undoubtedly be many important 

 and drastic changes made. Secretary Way, 

 of the California Audubon Society, is devot- 

 ing a great deal of time and energy to this 

 important work, 



Mrs. Alice L. Park, Chairman, Humane 

 Education Committee of the California Fed- 

 eration of Women's Clubs,, has introduced 

 in the legislature a bill to establish Bird Day 

 in the schools. Mrs. Park, two years since, 

 introduced a similar bill which was passed 

 by both houses of the legislature, but unfor- 

 tunately it- did not receive the Governor's 

 signature, and therefore Bird Day in the 

 schools had to be postponed two years and 

 the work has all to be done over again. 

 This shows that a woman, when she knows 

 she is right, and is serving the public, is 

 not apt to be discouraged but continues the 

 fight until she is finally successful. 



