Reports of State Societies and Bird Clubs 483 



important factor our birds are in winning the war. We aim to impress this 

 fact upon the general public. We have had many splendid lectures during the 

 past year, dealing with the value of birds as an economic factor, as well as the 

 best method of attracting and protecting them. The "cat question" has been 

 debated a great deal of late in one of our evening papers. At last, it seems, a 

 goodly number of people are beginning to realize what a terrible menace cats 

 are to our bird population. We expect to make renewed efforts during the 

 ensuing year to induce our City Council to pass an ordinance providing for 

 the destruction of stray cats and the licensing of all other cats. Our Society 

 invested almost all its funds in Liberty Bonds. 



Last winter we had the extreme pleasure of presenting to the public several 

 reels of films depicting the home-life of our wild birds. These films, which are 

 rented by the National Association of Audubon Societies for a nominal sum, 

 are of the greatest value in instructing the people in bird-lore. They deserve 

 to be shown in every city and village in the country. Our aim is to make the 

 coming year even more successful than the year which is past. — William G. 

 Cramer, Secretary. 



Oregon. — Our educational work has been carried on as usual during the 

 past year. The plan has been continued of holding public meetings each Satur- 

 day night in the public library at Portland. These have been under the direc- 

 tion of the Bird Study Committee, of which W. A. Eliot was chairman. A 

 systematic study of birds has been taken up, and, each week, lectures have 

 been given, illustrated with stereopticon slides and moving pictures. By the 

 aid of these lectures and the many bird-walks beginners have been able to get 

 a good knowledge of our common birds. 



A contest in building bird-houses was held among the members of the 

 Junior Audubon Societies last spring, and a large number of houses were made 

 and put up in the woods. The various classes who won in the contest were taken 

 on an automobile trip up the Columbia River Highway, and the best bird- 

 houses were placed in the trees along the highway to attract songsters. 



At the annual meeting of our Society, held October 5, the following officers 

 were elected: President, William L. Finley; Vice-President, Willard A. Eliot; 

 Corresponding Secretary, Dr. Emma J. Welty; Recording Secretary, Mrs. R. 

 B. Horsfall; Treasurer, Herman T. Bohlman. Dr. Welty gave a short history 

 of the Audubon movement. Dr. George W. Field and Dr. A. K. Fisher, both 

 of the Biological Survey of the Department of Agriculture, gave interesting 

 talks on the work of the Survey.— Dr. Emma J. Welty, Secretary. 



Rhode Island. — A record of the work of the Audubon Society of Rhode 

 Island for the past year consists of activities through the circulating library, 

 through field-trips, and through lectures. 



The books of the library have been used by 1,049 individuals and have a 



