136 



Bird - Lore 



SONG-BIRD KILLING IN GEORGIA 



The past few months we have been re- 

 ceiving more than the usual number of 

 complaints of the killing of song-birds in 

 the southern states. Such letters as the fol- 

 lowing from a gentleman in Macon, Ga., 

 emphasizes most strongly the great need 

 of extending the Junior Audubon work in 

 the southern states, as well as the impor- 

 tance of putting lecturers in the field to 

 arouse the people of that section to the 

 desirability of protecting birds. 



The letter in question runs as follows: 



"I am writing to inform you of conditions 

 here in Macon which certainly ought to 

 be tolerated no longer, if there is any source 

 of help to which we can appeal. 



"During the past few days immense 

 flocks of Robins have entered the city and 



they are being shot all over town by the 

 hundreds. Boys and men, both white and 

 colored, are engaged in this wicked busi- 

 ness. I am told that they are sold for food. 

 Yesterday — Sunday, by the way — ^I saw 

 a flock of upwards of one hundred Cedar 

 Waxwings, and they too were the victims 

 of this wicked practice. 



"I had supposed that the Audubon 

 Model Bird Law protected all song-birds 

 in every state of the Union at all times. If 

 there is any possible way of offering these 

 birds protection, I should be glad to co- 

 operate with you to that end. To one who 

 has been raised in a state where children 

 are taught, both in school and at home, to 

 love and protect birds, such conditions as 

 prevail here seem almost inconceivable." 



AUDUBON ASSOCIATION OF THE PACIFIC 



Our young Association at San Francisco 

 entered into its second year with very 

 promising prospects of continued rapid 

 growth and important accomplishments. 

 Many new members were added and strong 

 committees were well launched into their 

 work. The abnormal conditions caused by 

 the war, interrupted, but let us hope only 

 postponed, expected accomplishments. At 

 least seven of our foremost members, Dr. 

 Gibbons, Messrs. Webb, Newsom, Peck, 

 Loeb, McClenahan and Levis, some of 

 them active committeemen, in answering 

 their country's call, made their absence 

 felt. But, on the other hand, we are proud 

 of the representation they give the Asso- 

 ciation in the country's service and we can 

 thank them for the greater work they per- 

 formed. The other activities that fell to 

 the part of the civilian also deprived many 

 others of the time and opportunity to do 

 what they would for the good of the 

 Association. 



The monthly meetings, however, con- 

 tinued. As much can be said of our monthly 

 field trips, all of which were very successful, 

 both in the pleasure and instruction af- 

 forded and the interesting observations 

 recorded. 



It behooves us to be vigilant and ready 

 to enlist our services where they may be 

 needed, as, for example, against the pur- 

 pose to drain the Klamath Lakes, which 

 would destroy a valuable reservation and 

 bird-preserve. It is an unfortunate circum- 

 stance that little sympathy has been won 

 from our local press for our work and ob- 

 jects. It might even be stated that we 

 encounter here an opposition that we have 

 to combat, by what means it is hard to 

 outline exactly. For example, the almost 

 violent attacks on the treaty that protects 

 migratory birds, with special reference to 

 ducks, are evidently the outgrowth of fal- 

 lacious opinions and interested opposition. 

 Enlightenment cannot of itself conquer 

 this hostility. We may, for the present, 

 have to limit our efforts to influencing pub- 

 lic sentiment to counteract the effect of 

 malicious propaganda. 



Pursuing our plan to study the truth of 

 a question and seek the guidance of scien- 

 tific experts before taking sides or adopting 

 a course of action, at two of our monthly 

 meetings we had the question of the alleged 

 damage of Ducks to the California rice 

 fields expounded by such authorities as 

 Messrs. Hunter and Bade, Dr. Bryant and 



