The Audubon Societies 



207 



■different ornithologists, members of this 

 society, for which no charge is made. 

 Fifty or sixty teachers comprise the mem- 

 bers of these classes. liiustrations are 

 given by means of two hundred bird-sicins 

 owned by the society. These are also 

 available for use in private schools and for 

 lectures. 



Classes for popular instruction were held 

 through April and May, and created great 

 enthusiasm, especially the outdoor classes, 

 realizing for the treasury a neat little sum. 

 Field meetings were held through April 

 and May for members and their friends, 

 each personally conducted by two or more 

 trained ornithologists. Leading, as they 

 did, through the beautiful woods, so easy 

 of access around Washington, to which was 

 added one water excursion, these meetings 

 are said to be the crowning pleasure of the 

 year's work. 



For the protection of birds there has been 

 examination of millinery stores by officers 

 of the society; cooperation with the Audu- 

 bon Society of the state of Virginia to se- 

 cure enactment of adequate laws for that 

 state ; cooperation with the game-wardens 

 of Montgomery county, Maryland, copies 

 of our game-laws being sent to all wardens 

 in the county. Occasional examinations of 

 ■markets and commission houses have revealed 

 no flagrant violation of game-laws, no song- 

 birds offered for sale. 



Protection has been given to two breeding 

 colonies of Night Herons near the eastern 

 branch of the Potomac. The existence of 

 breeding colonies so near the city of Wash- 

 ington is of great interest. 



All sale of Grebes and "Water Witches" 

 in the markets has been effectively stopped. 

 The sale of live native birds has been re- 

 duced to a minimum, and the trapping of 

 song-birds near the city has been practically 

 stopped. 



The laws for the protection of birds and 

 game have been generally well observed. 



The society numbers about three hundred 

 members, and some of its officers have been 

 told that "more good is accomplished with 

 less money expenditure than would ever have 

 been thought possible." — Jeanie Maury 

 Patten, Secretary. 



Report of the Audubon Society of Ver- 

 mont for 1903 



The year 1903 has brought much encour- 

 agement to those interested in Audubon 

 work in Vermont. Membership has not 

 increased rapidly, but sustained effort has 

 been made to create a public sentiment 

 which will secure to our agricultural inter- 

 ests the protection of bird-life, and to en- 

 courage among all our people that interest 

 in living birds which makes for the enlarge- 

 ment and enrichment of life from the esthetic 

 side. 



We have had the hearty cooperation of 

 our state superintendent of education, Mr. 

 Walter E. Ranger, who has furnished us 

 with much valuable printed matter, pub- 

 lished under his direction, by the State 

 Board. He has also invited members of our 

 society to present methods of bird study at 

 the summer schools for teachers, held under 

 state authority. We have endeavored to 

 avail ourselves of these opportunities, and 

 find a lively interest in the subject among 

 all the teachers with whom we have been 

 able to communicate. Nature work in its 

 largest sense — man's true relation to the 

 world about him — is the growing idea un- 

 derlying the work of our educators. We 

 now have Audubon members among the 

 instructors in two of our State Normal 

 Schools, which insures aid to those soon to 

 be enrolled among the teachers of the state. 



The subject of bird protection by the 

 farmer, not legal protection, but such indi- 

 vidual protection as can result only from an 

 intelligent comprehension of the economic 

 value of birds to our agricultural interests, 

 was ably presented by Amos J. Eaton at 

 the Dairymen's Meeting held under the 

 auspices of our State Board of Agriculture. 

 No topic discussed awakened keener inter- 

 est. We hope to extend this feature of our 

 work through the granges of the state. 



A lantern and slides would be of material 

 help, but our finances will not admit of 

 purchase at present. Mr. Eaton had only 

 the Massachusetts charts for illustration. 



We have added another circulating library 

 during the year. These books reach the 

 homes through the children. Parents be- 

 come interested in the topics which absorb 



