The Audubon Societies 



73 



On July 30, last, the writer visited a 

 colon}' on Fisher's Island, New York, 

 which was estimated to contain in the 

 neighborhood of 100 pairs of these birds. 

 It is situated on the property of one of 

 •our members, Mr. Alfred L. Ferguson, 

 who extends to it every protection. A 

 colony is also reported from Gardiner's 

 Island, New York. 



It is desirable that further information 

 should be had concerning the history 

 and present status of the colonies enumer- 

 ated, and also regarding the location of 

 any additional groups of nesting birds. 

 Readers of Bird-Lore are, therefore, 

 requested to cooperate in this work of 

 of gathering further data. — T. G. P. 



Bird Protection in Porto Rico 



About the year 1877, that vigorous 

 little animal, the mongoose, was intro- 

 duced on the island of Porto Rico, for the 

 purpose, so it is said, of destroying the 

 rats which were playing havoc with the 

 sugar-cane. 



"Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" found the climate 

 congenial and food abundant. His num- 

 bers rapidly increased, and the rats cor- 

 respondingly grew fewer. When in time, 

 however, hunting in the cane- fields became 

 unprofitable, the mongoose turned his 

 attention to birds, with the result that 

 before long the ground-breeding species 

 were greatly reduced in numbers. 



Porto Rico is fairly thickly settled, and, 

 there having been practically no legal 

 restriction to bird-shooting, the shot-gun 

 has long aided the little mammal in its 

 work of destruction. Especially is this 

 true since American occupation began, in 

 1898. Of late, various reports of the 

 wanton killing of birds in the island by 

 soldiers and sailors have reached our 

 office. 



This unfortunate state of affair has 

 recently received a sudden check, which, 

 in the end, is likely to prove of material 

 service in conserving the bird life. The 

 Sixth Legislative Assembly of Porto Rico 

 enacted a bird-protection law of which 

 the following is an extract: "Whoever 



seizes, kills, destroys or keeps in his pos- 

 session any bird beneficial to agriculture 

 shall be guilt}' of a misdemeanor, and 

 punished therefor with a fine of not less 

 than $5 or more than $25, or with impris- 

 onment of not more than ten daj'S, or 

 with both penalties." 



The Assembly went farther, and empow- 

 ered the Board of Commissioners of Agri- 

 culture to determine what birds are bene- 

 ficial to agriculture. At a regular meeting 

 of the Board, held July 14, 191 1, an order 

 was passed which names sixty-nine species 

 as being beneficial, and therefore coming 

 within the scope of the law. 



Desiring to make doubly certain that 

 no useful birds should be omitted, a 

 second order was passed, which reads: 

 "That all other birds now found in Porto 

 Rico be declared beneficial to agriculture, 

 with the following exceptions, the family 

 of FalconidcB, migratory Ducks, and 

 Snipes {Gallinago wilsoui)." 



The National Association of Audubon 

 Societies has, for some time, been in close 

 correspondence with the Board of Agri- 

 culture, and it may be mentioned that 

 there is now under advisement a plan for 

 further protecting the birds of the island 

 by placing limitations upon the sale of 

 their bodies or feathers. 



From the published lists of Bowdish 

 and others, we learn that 160 species of 

 birds have thus far been recorded from 

 Porto Rico.— T. G. P. 



Fatalities in Hunting 



The short open season for hunting big 

 game closed in most states in December. 

 This year, as usual, there have been a 

 large number of people killed, as the result 

 of the careless handling of firearms. Hun- 

 dreds of inexperienced men and boys 

 annually go into the woods with the most 

 deadly weapons which the human hand 

 has been able to construct. Many of 

 these hunters, when once they get out of 

 town with a gun in their hands, imme- 

 diately fall prey to their imaginations, and 

 fancy that every thicket is inhabited by 

 some wild animal which it is desirable to 



