Annual Report of Secretary 295 



profound loss has been sustained in the death of one of the members of the 

 Advisory Board of Directors, Mr. Wm. H. Fisher of Cincinnati, who was also 

 president of the Ohio Audubon Society. Another warden was murdered on 

 November 20, 1908. This was Columbus G. McLeod, on duty in Charlotte 

 Harbor, Florida. 



SECRETARY'S WORK 



During the past six years the Secretary has lectured and performed other 

 campaign work in nine of the southern states, as well as many of those in the 

 North and Central West. While thus engaged, he has sought as far as possible 

 to form the acquaintance of Ornithologists, Game Commissioners, officers of 

 game protective organizations, members of Congress, and others who might 

 become interested in the work of this Association and lend it their aid and sym- 

 pathy. One result of this policy has been the gradual formation of a wide circle 

 of correspondents, which now requires much attention. 



The past year, in addition to attending to the duties of the southern office, 

 your Secretary has spent considerable time in the field on enterprises of a diversi- 

 fied character. In the interests of the work he has given many public talks. 

 Among these were the State Audubon Society at Richmond, Virginia, the Vir- 

 ginia State Educational Conference at Newport News, and Hampton Institute 

 at Hampton. 



As retiring president of the North Carohna Academy of Science, he gave 

 the annual address at Trinity College. Three night lectures were given before 

 the 2,000 teachers gathered at the Summer School of the South at the 

 University of Tennessee. He spoke at San Antonio, at the University 

 of Texas at Austin, and before a joint gathering of the Legislature of 

 Arkansas. He addressed legislative committees in North Carolina, and spoke 

 before the Indiana Nature Study Society at " Buzzard's Roost" near Indianapolis, 

 as well as at several schools and colleges in North Carolina and Virginia. 



He has visited and held personal conferences with the officers of the Audubon 

 Societies of Ohio, Indiana, Ilhnois, Virginia, Texas and Wisconsin, and has 

 corresponded much with the officers of several other states. 



He drew state game protective bills, to be introduced in the legislatures of 

 Florida, Georgia and Arkansas, and wrote many letters to people in these states 

 soliciting their support for the proposed legislation. He also visited Congress 

 in the interests of national bird legislation. 



After consultation with other members of the committee, he prepared and 

 forwarded to Mr. Gifford Pinchot our first preliminary report on the subject 

 of Bird and Game Protection in America, and outlined an extensive plan of in- 

 vestigation, of which Mr. Pinchot approved. In behalf of this movement and the 

 protection of our migratory birds in winter, he visited Mexico City and held a 

 personal conference with President Diaz. The President expressed himself as 

 interested in the proposition to form an organization for wild-bird and animal 



