Bird - Lore 



Law Enforcement in Oregon 



Last February the Oregon Audubon 

 Society sent out warning notices to all the 

 milliners of the state calling attention 

 to the decision rendered by the Supreme 

 Court of the United States in the Silz 

 case, and stating that hereafter action 

 would be taken against any firm having 

 in possession for sale any part of the plum- 

 age of Herons, Terns, Gulls, Grebes, 

 Ibis and other birds protected under the 

 statute. Although the Model Bird Law- 

 was passed in Oregon in 1903, the milli- 

 ners had claimed the right of selling 

 plumes that were imported, because the 

 law did not state specifically that it was 

 unlawful to sell plumes "whether taken 

 within or without the state." 



In addition to the warning notices, the 

 matter was given publicity in the various 

 papers, but the milliners paid no attention. 

 On April 2, Mr. William L. Finley, Presi- 

 dent of the Oregon Audubon Society, 

 arrested ten of the proprietors of the lead- 

 ing millinery establishments of Portland 

 and seized a quantity of plumage as evi- 

 dence. On April 6, the two leading de- 

 partment stores of the city, Lipman, 

 Wolfe & Co. and Meier & Frank, al- 

 though arrested the first time, failed to 

 withdraw all the forbidden plumage and 

 were again arrested. The following week 

 when these cases came up for trial, all 

 the milliners pleaded guilty. In view of 

 the fact that they promised to ship out of 

 the state within two weeks all plumage 

 that is forbidden under the law, and since 

 the largest firms showed telegrams and 

 letters countermanding orders for fall 

 aigrettes to the extent of several thousand 

 dollars, a nominal fine of ten dollars was 

 imposed for the first offense and twenty 

 dollars for the second. 



In order to protect the few remaining 

 White Herons in southern Oregon and to 

 give protection to Grebes, Terns and other 

 birds nesting on Klamath Lake Reserva- 

 tion and Malheur Lake Reservation, the 

 Oregon Audubon Society recently raised 

 a fund of $300 to assist the National 

 Association in paying for warden services 



in this part of the country. Mr. L. A. 

 Lewis, of Klamath Falls, has been ap- 

 pointed warden in charge of Klamath 

 Reservation, and Mr. Claude Hibbard, of 

 Burns, has charge of Malheur Reservation. 

 — William L. Finley. 



Report of Warden of Klamath Lake Res- 

 ervation. Month Ending May 31, 1909 



Conditions on the reservation have 

 been satisfactory during the month just 

 ended. In not a single instance have I 

 learned of a hunter being on the Govern- 

 ment lands of the Reservation. Hunters 

 seem to be afraid to violate Government 

 regulations on the reservation and keep 

 off entirely. 



I have spent, during the month, twenty- 

 two days patrolling the reserve, and the 

 balance of the time working on cases on 

 the border of Oregon and California, 

 assisting the game wardens of the two 

 states. No arrests have been made this 

 month, but one or two cases are being 

 worked up under the state laws, in which 

 I believe arrests will be made shortly. 



During the month I have made a dis- 

 covery of by far the largest Pelican colony 

 on the reserve, in a place I never expected 

 to find nests. I had noticed many Pelicans 

 flying around this portion of the reserve, 

 but supposed, from appearances, it was 

 merely a fishing-ground. There were at 

 least 1,500 nests in this colony, together 

 with 400 or 500 Cormorant nests. I have 

 found altogether on the reserve at least 

 600 Blue Heron nests. Very few Grebe 

 are nesting on the reserve this year — mute 

 testimony of the inroads of previous 

 market hunting. A few Gulls and Terns 

 are also nesting, but very few. No Caspian 

 Terns have appeared, as far as I have 

 noted. 



Various parties, amounting to about 

 sixty people, have visited the bird colonies, 

 but only when I was on hand, as I have 

 made it a point to see that the birds were 

 not disturbed. The birds, especially 

 Pelicans, are very tame, and it is possible 

 to get as close as ten feet to nesting Peli- 

 cans. — L. Alva Lewis, Warden. 



