The New York Bird Law. 



21 



The birds are killed for millinery purpo:es. So long as fashion 

 demands bird feathers, the birds will be slaughtered. The 

 remedy is to be found in the awakening of a healthy pub- 

 lic sentiment on the subject. If this enormous destruction of 

 birds can once be put in its true light betore the eyes of men 

 and women and young folks, if interest be aroused and senti- 

 ment created, the great wrong must cease. To so present the 

 case to the people as to awaken this corrective sentiment is the 

 special work contemplated by the Audubon Society. The 

 methods adopted are very simple. Pledges are furnished, sub- 

 scription to which constitutes membership, and certificates 

 are issued to members. 



TERMS OF MEMBERSHIP. 



The signing of any of the pledges will qualify one for m m- 

 bership in the Society. It is earnestly desired that each mem- 

 ber may sign all three of the pledges. Beyond the promise 

 contained in the pledge no obligation nor responsibility is in- 

 curred. There are no fees, nor dues, nor any expenses of any 

 kind. There are no conditions as to age. The boys and girls 

 are invited to take part in the work, for they can often do 

 more than others to practically protect the nesting birds. AH 

 who are interested in the subject are invited to become mem- 

 bers, and to urge their friends to join the Society. If each 

 man, woman or child who reads this circular will exert his or 

 her influence, it will not take long to enlist in the good work a 

 great number of people actively concerned in the protection of 

 our birds. It is desired that members may be enrolled in every 

 town and village throughout the land, so that by the moral 

 weight of its influence this Society may check the slaughter of 

 our beautiful songsters. The beneficent influence of the 

 Audubon Society should be e.xerted in every remotest by-way 

 where the songs of birds fill the air, and in every crowded city 

 where the plumes of slain songsters are worn as an article of 

 dress, 



ASSOCIATE MEMBERS. 



As there are a very great number of people in full sympathy 

 wiih the Audubon movement, and ready to lend it their moral 

 support, but who refrain from joining the Society simply be- 

 cause they find it distasteful to sign a pledge, it has been 

 determined to form a class of Associ.ite Members. Any one 

 expressing his or her sympathy with the objects of the Audu- 

 bon Society and submittmg a written request for membership 

 to any local secretary, will be enrolled on the list of Associate 

 Members. All such applications for membership received by 

 local secretaries of the Society should be forwarded to the 

 General Secretary for registration. 



: LOCAL SECRETARIES. 



The Society has local seeretaries in cities, towns and villages. 

 The local secretary will furnish this circular of information 

 and pledge forms; will receive the signed pledges, keep a list 

 of the members, forward a duplicate list with the pledges for 

 enrollment and file at the Society's office; and will receive in 

 return ceitificates of membership, to be filled out and signed 

 by tlie local secretary and given to the members. No certi- 

 ficate of membership will be issued co any person except upon 

 the receipt of a signed pledge at the office of the Society. 

 Where no local secretary has yet been appointed, individual 

 appl.cants for membership may address the Society at its 

 office, No. 40 Park Row, New York. 



If there is no local secretary in your town, you are invited 

 to acL as such yourself, or to hand this to some other person 

 who will accept the office. Upon application we will supply 

 copies of th.s circular and pledge forms. 



, THE AUDUBON SOCIETY CERTIFICATE. 



The Society furnishes to each member a handsome certificate 

 of membership. This bears a portrait of the great naturalist, 

 John James Audubon, after whom the Soc.ety very appro- 

 priately takes its name. 



SUGGESTIONS FOR LOCAL WORK. 



^^eetings should be held at least once each month, at which 

 the efforts put forth by the different members should be 

 reported. Papers on the local condition of pu::lic opinion, on 

 the interest taken by those not members of the Society, on the 

 destruction of birds in the neighborhood, should be read. 

 Field observations and reports on the local birds and their 

 habits might be made, and these observations would be inter- 

 esting to the members. The individual effort to interest 

 others in the work and to bring them into the Society should 

 be unceasing, for the gr;at object of the Society is to increase 

 the number of those who will protect the birds. 



In many cases it will be possible for the members to take 

 active means to brin.; to justice those who violate the laws 

 respecting the killing of birJs. An officer might be appointed 

 wliose duty it should be to attend to the prosecution of offend- 

 ers against the law. Strong efforts should be made to enlist 

 the aid of the local press. 



The office of tne Society is at 40 Park Row, New York city. 

 AH communications should be addressed 



THE AUDUBON SOCIETY, 



No. 40 Park Row, New York. 



THE NEW YORK BIRD LAW. 

 Chapter 427. 



AN ACT 



For the Preservation of Song and \\'ild Birds. 



Passed May 20, 1886 ; three-fifths being present ; without the 

 approval of the Governor.* 



The People of the State of New York, represented in 

 Senate and Assembly , do enact as follows : 



Section i. No person in any of the counties of this State, 

 shall kill, wound, trap, net, snare, catch, with bird lime, or 

 with any similar substance, poison or drug, any bird of song 

 or any linnet, blue bird, yellow hammer, yellow bird, thrush, 

 woodpecker, cat bird, pewee, swallow, martin, bluejay, oriole, 

 kildee, snow bird, grass bird, gross beak, bobolink, phoebe 

 bird, humming bird, wren, robin, meadow lark or starling, or 

 any wild bird, other than a game bird. Nor shall any person 

 purchase, or have in possession, or expose for sale any such 

 song or wild bird, or any part thereof, after the same has been 

 killed. For the purposes of this act the following only shall 

 be considered game birds : the Anatidee, commonly known as 

 swans, geese, brant, and river and sea ducks ; the liallidae, 

 commonly known as rails, coots, mud-hens and gallinules ; the 

 Limicolffi, commonly known as shore birds, plovers, surf- 

 birds, snipe, woodcock, sand pipers, tatlers, and curlews ; the 

 Gallinse, commonly known as wild turkeys, grouse, prairie- 

 chickens, pheasants, partridges and quails. 



§ 2. No person shall take or needlessly destroy the nest or 

 eggs of any song or wild bird. 



I 3. Sections one and two of this act shall not apply to any 

 person holding a certificate giving the right to take birds, and 

 their nests and eggs, for scientific purposes, as provided for 

 in section four of this act. 



§ 4. Certificates may be granted by any incorporaied society 

 of natural history in the State, through such persons or offi- 

 cers as said society may designate, to any properly accredited 

 person of the age of eighteen years or upward, permitting the 

 holder thereof to collect birds, their nests or eggs, for strictly 

 scientific purposes only. In order to obtain such certificate, 

 the applicant for the same must presentto the person or per- 

 sons having the power to grant said certificates, written testi- 

 monials from two well-known scientific men, certifying to the 

 good character and fitness of said applicant to be intrusted 

 with such privilege ; must pay to said persons or officers one 

 dollar to defray the necessary expenses attending the granting 

 of such certificates ; and must file with said persons or offi- 

 cers a properly executed bond, in the sum of two hundred 

 dollars, signed by two responsible citizens of the State as sure- 

 ties. This bond shall be forfeited to the State, and the cer- 

 tificate become void, upon proof that the holder of such a cer- 

 tificate has killed any bird, or taken the nest or eggs of any 

 bird, for other than the purposes named in sections three and 

 four'of this act, and shall be further subject for each such 

 offense to the penalties provided therefor in sections one and 

 two of this act. , ,, , • r 



§ 5. The certificates authorized by this act shall be in force 

 for one year only from the date of their issue, and shall not be 

 transferable. 



§ 6. The English or European house-sparrow {Passer do- 

 mesticus) is not included among the birds protected by this 



§ 7 Any person or persons violating any of the piovisions 

 of this act shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, punish- 

 able by ''mprisonment in the county jail or penitentiary, of not 

 less than five or more than thirty days, or to a fine of not less 

 than ten or more than fifty dollars, or both, at the discretion 

 of the court. 



§ 8 In all actions for the recovery of penalties under this 

 act, one-half of the recovery shall belong to the plaintiff, and 

 the' remainder shall be paid to the county treasurer of the 

 county where the offense is committed, except if the offense 

 be committed in the city and county of New York, the re- 

 maining one-half shall be paid to the chamberlain of said city. 



§ 9. All acts or parts of acts inconsistent with, or contrary 

 to the provisions of this act, are hereby repealed. 



§ 10. This act shall take effect immediately. 



State of New York, I ^^ . 

 Office of Secretary of State, i " . , , . . , , £, 



I have compared the preceding with the original law on tile 

 in this office, and do hereby certify that the same is a correct 

 transcript therefrom and of the whole of said original law. 

 Frederick Cook, Secretary of State. 



* Not returned by the Governor within ten days after it was 

 presented to him, and became a law without his signature. 

 [Art IV Sec. 9, Constitution of the State of New York.] 



