Report of Secretary 265, 
LEGISLATIVE WORK 
The legislation which has particularly claimed the attention of the Asso- 
ciation during the past year has been a continuation of previous efforts to 
suppress the traffic in the plumage of wild birds in New York state. A bill 
was prepared and introduced at the Legislature early in January, intemded! 
to restrict the sale of birds’ feathers. 
For four successive years, attempts have been made to secure the enact- 
ment of a statute which would meet these ends; but in every instance the oppo- 
nents of the measure have been able to prevent favorable legislative actiom.. 
During the past year a wide and systematic campaign was conducted by the- 
National Association and the New York State Audubon Society in every 
county of the state. This educational effort at length so thoroughly aroused! 
public interest that the legislature became aware that the people were strongly 
for the bill and demanded its passage. For the first time, the Forest, Fish and 
Game Commissioner was thoroughly in sympathy with the effort, and this 
added great strength to the cause. 
Those dealers in millinery supplies whose business would be affected by 
the passage of this bill were naturally very active in their opposition, and it 
is generally understood that they provided large sums of money to employ 
able counsel to defeat the measure. They also maintained a lobbyist at Albany 
during most of the session of the legislature. After a most prolonged and 
strenuous fight, the law was finally enacted. It reads as follows: 
“Sec. 98. Certain wild birds protected. Wild birds other than the English 
Sparrow, Crow, Hawk, Crow Blackbird, Snow Owl, Great-horned Owl and 
Kingfisher, shall not be taken or possessed at any time, dead or alive, except 
under the authority of a certificate issued under this chapter. No part of the 
plumage, skin or body of any bird protected by this section, or of any birds 
coming from without the state, whether belonging to the same or different 
species from that native to the state of New York, provided such birds belong 
to the same family as those protected by this chapter, shall be sold or had 
in possession for sale. The provision of this section shall not apply to game 
birds for which an open season is provided in this chapter, excepting that Quail, 
English Pheasants and Hungarian Partridges shall not be taken at any time 
to Richmond county prior to the year nineteen hundred and fourteen. 
“Section two hundred and forty of said act is hereby amended by adding 
a new subdivision to said section, to be known as subdivision eighteen thereof, 
and to read as follows: 
“78. Plumage includes any part of the feathers, head, wings or tail of any 
bird, and wherever the word occurs in this chapter reference is had equally 
to plumage of birds coming from without the state as to that obtained within 
the state; but it shall not be construed to apply to the feathers of Birds of 
Paradise, Ostriches, domestic fowl, or domestic Pigeons.” 
