The Audubon Note Book. 



141 



My readers may be glad to know that when rural 

 property and rural pleasure in America were seen to 

 be in danger through thoughtless shooting by boys 

 and indiscriminate trapping by milliners' envoys, 

 when entire species were disappearing from the 

 groves and fens, the lovely hummingbird extermi- 

 nated in several places, the innocent bobolink and 

 others becoming extinct, the American Ornitholo- 

 gists' Union got an act passed for the protection of 

 birds other than game birds, and their nests and 

 eggs. (The game birds were already under pro- 

 tection.) The Audubon Society set itself to create a 

 public sentiment in support of the law. The active 

 members endeavored to enlighten the crass ignorance 

 of the common people by instructing them in the 

 important functions performed by birds in planting 

 seeds, fertilizing virgin and poor soil, devouring 

 young grubs, chrysalides, and flies on the wing, and 

 many more ways. They popularized "dry" scien- 

 tific reports on natural history of all kinds, and 

 taught those classes whose liberty was restrained by 

 the prohibitive acts why legislation was vital, and 

 what would be the consequences of indifference. 

 The Society rapidly grew to immense proportions, 

 and one of the first effects was the reduction of the 

 odious fashion of wearing smashed birds. * * * 



THE EDITOR'S TALK. 



The Band of Mercy and Humane Educator, pub- 

 lished by the Young American Humane Union of 

 Philadelphia, and edited by Mrs. Charles Willing, 

 who contributes a goodly share of the original mat- 

 ter, is a modest little monthly of eight pages octavo. 

 Mrs. Willing has not been able to give The Bajtd oj 

 Mercy that wide circulation which its general excel- 

 lence merits and which she craves, not for the sake 

 of the dollars and dimes, but because its pleasant 

 pages contain seeds of pure and healthy thought 

 which she would like to see fertilizing and shaping 

 the characters of the young people in all the pleasant 

 land of Penn. We are told that the subscriptions 

 barely cover the costs of a single month's issue. 

 This is not as it should be; not as it would be if the 

 little sheet were better known. It is full of charm- 

 ing stories, original and culled, every one of which 

 possesses an educational value. 



It does not take very long to skim through Out 

 Dumb Animals, but one turns from its perusal re- 

 freshed. Written in advocacy of mercy to our dumb 

 friends, there is no taint of maudlin sentimental- 

 ity about it, but every line is breezy, healthful and 

 robust, with a vein of pleasant humor peering through 

 the crannies. Every sentence of matter pertaining 

 to the affairs of the Massachusetts Society for the 

 Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is accentuated by 

 the strong individuality of its robust founder and 

 president, Geo. T. Angell, and the gleanings, which 

 by the way are always conscientiously acknowledged, 

 bear no less evidence of good judgment in their 



selection. It is necessary to the success of such an 

 undertaking as the Mass. Soc. P. C. A., that its 

 director should have the faculty of putting his hands 

 into other people's pockets. Many accomplish 

 more or less in this direction by dint of laborious 

 effort and in spite of every attempt to elude them, 

 but Geo. T. Angell stands out as an artist in this 

 department. The slipping in of his hand is accom- 

 panied by such an agreeable sensation that when 

 thus engaged people crowd around him like children 

 around a fond father engaged in a game of romps 

 with them, shouting, 'me next;" and the money 

 thus won could hardly be applied to a worthier pur- 

 pose. The dry statistics of achievement do not in 

 any sense represent the measure of good work done. 

 That must be sought in the growing sentiment that 

 is ever contracting the field for repressive measures. 

 We congratulate Geo. T. Angell on having found a 

 field of labor so favorable to his own healthy devel- 

 opment. 



It is pleasant to us to see success achieved by 

 others working on the same lines as we and in kin- 

 dred fields. The success of our big brother Forest 

 and Stream in creating a sentiment among sports- 

 men in favor of game protection, the substitution 

 of clay-pigeons for live birds at shooting matches, 

 together with the rapid development of humane 

 societies, are indications that a healthy sentiment is 

 permeating all classes, and prophetic of success to be 

 achieved in the field we have made exclusively our 

 own. And this is a wide field. With us it is no 

 mere plea for mercy to the creature under our con- 

 trol. We found a people blindly believing that the 

 birds which were given to man to be with him, were 

 so many competitors with him for the fruits of the 

 earth — standing between him and sole possession, 

 and it is our chosen task to undermine this fatal 

 delusion and guide the nation to the realization of 

 the fact that all birds, each in its own way, perform 

 functions so vitally essential to human well-being 

 that our own best interests are involved in their con- 

 tinuance. 



In consequence of the press of matter this month, 

 both "Charley" and "Byram and Ghopal" have had 

 to stand over. As regards Byram and Ghopal, they 

 are only casual acquaintances as yet and will not be 

 much missed; moreover, they who are interested in 

 them may be assured that they will have abundant 

 opportunity to travel many a stage in company with 

 them. As to Charley, he indulges in such extra- 

 ordinary adventures that nobody knows what will 

 be the end of him. He was all right at last accounts, 

 and left us a couple of his journeys, which will be 

 published as early as we have space for them. 



