THE AUDUBON NOTE BOOK, 



MEMBERSHIP RETURNS. 

 The registered membership of the Society on 

 March 31, 1S88, was 45,154, showing an in.crease 

 of 846 members during the month, drawn from the 

 following sources: 



New York 112 Missouri (6 



Massachusetts 37 Kentucky 5 



Pennsylvania 343 Illinois 24 



Maine 32 Delaware 3 



Connecticut 16 Tennessee i 



New Hampshire 11 Vermont i 



New Jersey 8 Colorado i 



Ohio 24 Georgia 2 



Michigan 22 District of Columbia i 



Iowa 39 Wisconsin . ; 11 



Indiana 3 Canada 43 



West Virginia 24 England 13 



Mississippi 4 



C. ¥. Amery, General Secretary. 



846 



THE AUDUBON MONUMENT. 



The subscriptions on behalf of the Audubon 

 Monument have not flown in as freely as might have 

 been expected; the funds contributed by the Audu- 

 bon Society during the month are: 



Forest and Stream $25 00 



Miss Floren;e A. Merriam 5 00 



Mrs. E. S. Forster i 00 



Mrs. H. A. I^odge i 00 



Miss Mary D. Dodge 50 



Mrs. Sophia Hemp 25 



$32 75 

 Leaving us to infer that a great many members of 

 the Audubon Society think twice before giving once. 

 Unless next month's returns show better results we 

 shall be led to conclude that the Audubon Society 

 will hold but a limited amount of stock in the Audu- 

 bon Monument. 



FOR THE PROTECTION OF SMALL BIRDS. 



Wk learn from the Indiana Farmer that at the 

 presentation of a paper lately to the Academy of 

 Sciences on the importance of legislation for the pro- 

 tection of insectivorous birds, the following resolu- 

 tion was adopted unanimously: 



"Whereas we view with alarm the great destruc- 

 tion of native birds for mercantile purposes and re- 

 cognize, that, without proper legal restraints enforced 

 by public opinion, great injury is threatened the 

 agricultural and horticultural interests of our State 

 by reason of this destruction removing an important 

 check upon the growth of insect life; therefore be it 

 resolved that we respectfully call the attention of the 

 members of the General Assembly of the State of 

 Indiana to the necessity of the enactment of string- 



ent and adequate laws for the protection of cur wild 

 birds other than game birds; and that a committee 

 of three members of this Academy be appointed to 

 present, for the consideration of the members of the 

 General Assembly, a draft of a law which they think 

 will prove in every way satisfactory, as a means 

 whereby existing evils may be corrected within our 

 commonwealth, and at the same time provide for a 

 proper study of our birds, in their scientific and 

 economic relations." 



NESTS. 



Nests are the structures which amimals prepare 

 for the rearing of the young. They are very dif- 

 ferent, not only when the creature which constructs 

 them belongs to widely separated divisions of the 

 animal kingdom, but often when the animals are of 

 the same class. W^hile some construct very simple 

 nests, those of others are very curious, and delicate- 

 ly framed, others make no nests at all. Among 

 mammals the only nest builders are certain rodents, 

 as rats, mice, squirrels, etc. 



The structures of some of these species are as art- 

 fully contrived and as beautiful as the nests of 

 birds. It is among birds that nest building is most 

 general. Some birds' nests consist of merely a few 

 straws or leaves collected together, and such ma- 

 terial as twigs, straw, moss, hair, etc., are used in 

 nest building. A very singular nest is that of the 

 tailor bird, made by sewing together the edges of 

 leaves. 



No reptiles are known to construct nests, their 

 nearest approach to it being to make a hole for their 

 eggs in the sand or some other soft material. 



An important article of commerce between the 

 East Indies and China are the nests of several 

 species of swallow. The nests are sold from 2s. to 

 7s. apiece, and of course are used only by the most 

 wealthy Chinese, who use it for thickening rich 

 soup. 



Condors make no nests, but simply lay their eggs 

 in the hollow of a rock, so that they cannot roll 

 out. 



The nest of the vulture is made on the most in- 

 accessible heights, and is of larch branches inter- 

 twined with wool, hair and feathers. It is flat, and 

 measures four feet across. 



The robin begins his nest in the same way as a 

 carpenter would a house; first he makes the frame- 

 work, then plasters it and lines it with straw or 

 moss. 



The nest of the red-bird is very fine, being made 



