EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT 



Edited by WILLIAM DUTCHER 



Address all correspondence, and send all remittances for dues and contributions to 

 the National Association of Audubon Societies, 141 Broadway, New York City 



Notice of the Annual Meeting of the 



National Association of Audubon 



Societies 



The annual meeting of the members 

 of the National Association of Audubon 

 Societies for the Protection of Wild Birds 

 and Animals, for the election of a director 

 to take the place of William Dutcher, 

 whose term of ofi&ce will then expire, and 

 for the election of an Advisory Board of 

 Directors, as provided for in the By-Laws, 

 and for the transaction of such other busi- 

 ness as may properly come before the 

 meeting, will be held at the American 

 Museum of Natural History, Columbus 

 avenue and 77th street, in the Borough of 

 Manhattan and City of New York, on the 

 twenty-sixth day of October, 1909, at 

 ten o'clock a.m. — T. Gilbert Pearson, 

 Secretary. 



How to Attract Birds 



There is evidently a growing interest 

 in the subject of how to attract birds, 

 from the number of inquiries that are 

 being made at the headquarters of the 

 Association. This work is not only ex- 

 tremely interesting and entertaining, but 

 is also economically valuable. In a recent 

 communication from Prof. H. A. Surface, 

 Economic Zoologist, of Pennsylvania, 

 he writes that the total loss to apple- 

 growers in his state for the present year 

 will amount to over one million dollars 

 from the codling-moth alone. He adds 

 this strong endorsement regarding attrac- 

 ing birds: "It has been observed with 

 certainty that, where birds have been 

 encouraged around premises, the codling- 

 moth pest has been considerably reduced." 



Dr. John C. Phillips, a life member 



(22 



of this Association, gives the following 

 interesting story of his success with the 

 Berlepsch nesting-boxes: 



"Last March, seventy-five of the Ber- 

 lepsch nesting-boxes and three of the 

 food-bells were received from Herman 

 Scheid, Buren, Germany. The total cost 

 of this shipment delivered at Wenham, 

 Mass., was $44.29. During the winter, 

 the English Sparrows had been perse- 

 cuted as much as possible, but no other 

 bird-attracting work was done. Seventy 

 of the boxes were placed in position, by 

 the sixth of April, in the woods, orchard, 

 and about the farm buildings. Within a 

 few days, the Bluebirds were seen flying 

 in and out of those boxes nearest the farm- 

 house. 



"As to the sizes, there were far too 

 many of the Ai (ii^ inches opening). 

 None of these apparently have been occu- 

 pied. Box A {i\ inches) was used by the 

 Tree Swallows, in preference apparently 

 to Box B (i|-inch opening) which they 

 also used. There were a number of Box 

 B, but, owing to a mistake, none of size 

 C (2f inches). The very large size D 

 (3^ inches), of which eight were received, 

 were placed about the lake, in the hope 

 of attracting Wood Ducks, — so far with- 

 out result. 



"In general, the results from a very 

 hasty survey have been as follows: The 

 boxes were placed too late to attract the 

 winter and local birds. Nearly all the 

 boxes placed in the orchard were occupied 

 by Bluebirds and Swallows, with a fair 

 sprinkling of English Sparrows. Those 

 placed in the woods were probably none 

 of them tenanted, although no very care- 

 ful survey has been taken. Many of the 

 boxes at a distance from the house were 

 gnawed badly by red squirrels. (A ring 



9) 



