The Audubon Societies 



35 



before this bright vista will be near enough 

 for us to enjoy it as a part of the present, 

 there is much hard work for ail the bird 

 lovers and Audubonites, old or young, to 

 do. The question is, will the readers of 

 Bird-Lore sit idly by and wait for some 

 one else to till the fallow ground, or will 

 they do their own part in building up this 

 great structure ? This is a serious matter 

 and one that should be taken to heart by 

 every one that loves nature. There is, as a 

 nucleus or foundation for this great move- 

 ment, forty organized Audubon Societies, 

 with nearly a hundred thousand members, 

 the larger part of which are children, who, 

 at the present time, can give but little finan- 

 cial support, but are being taught the basic 

 principles of Audubon work. In a few 

 short years these children will be the men 

 and women who will support and carry on 

 the work that is now being initiated. 



The importance and magnitude of Audu- 

 bon work warrants its being placed in a 

 position of permanence; this can be accom- 

 plished quickly and easily by incorporation. 

 The act of incorporating is a simple matter, 

 and, as Audubon work is national in its 

 scope, it seems proper that the place of in- 

 corporation should be Washington, D. C. 



The National Audubon Committee, com- 

 posed as it is of one delegate from each 

 regularly organized Audubon Society, will 

 then be in a position to appeal to the bird- 

 loving public for a much-needed endow- 

 ment fund. This fund should be raised by 

 a popular subscription from bird lovers in all 

 parts of the country. No subscription will be 

 too large and none too small to be thank- 

 fully received. Objects no more worthy nor 

 half as economically important are endowed 

 with hundreds of thousands of dollars ; why 

 not the Audubon movement, which has for 

 its sole object the preservation of the wild 

 birds of the country ? Think of a birdiess 

 world, — no song, no bright plumages, and 

 no check to insect pests! This is another 

 stone in our great building; Audubonites! 

 are you willing to help lift it in place? Let 

 the chairman hear from you with pertinent 

 suggestions and promises of aid. So much 

 for permanent work. 



At the present time it is important that 



every reader of Bird-Lork and every Au- 

 dubon Secretary and Local Secretary should 

 take immediate steps to create public senti- 

 ment against the use of the aigrette. 

 Educational Leaflet No. 7, which appears 

 in the present issue of Bird-Lore, gives all 

 the facts necessar\' to show how pressing the 

 matter is if the white Herons are not to be- 

 come exterminated. Let every woman who 

 is still willing to wear a Heron's plume 

 have a personal appeal made to her better 

 nature; right must triumph in the end. 

 Spread this leaflet, with its appeal to mother- 

 hood, broadcast over the country. Colored 

 slides have been prepared of the five half- 

 tones in the leaflet, which will be sent on 

 application to all the societies that have 

 traveling bird lectures. These and the 

 leaflets will do much to reduce the sale of 

 aigrettes and stub plumes. 



The second attempt to secure a satisfac- 

 tory non-game bird law in Louisiana has 

 just been defeated. 



Owing to the scare occasioned by the 

 rapid march of the boll-weevil pest from 

 Mexico through Texas to the borders of 

 Louisiana, the Governor of the latter state 

 called a special session of the legislature 

 late in December to devise means for pre- 

 venting the boll-weevil scourge from 

 spreading into that commonwealth. Among 

 the plans discussed was a law to prevent 

 the killing or caging of birds. 



A bill was prepared, introduced and was 

 adopted in the House of Delegates by a 

 vote of 73 to 9. To the very great credit 

 of the members, it is reported that the 

 speeches made in behalf of the bill were 

 very earnest in favor of bird protection. 

 The bill was defeated in the Senate by a 

 political trick. 



Among the most active antogonists to the 

 passage of this much-needed legislation 

 were the representatives of the caged -bird 

 dealers. Bird lovers in Louisiana, and es- 

 pecially the cotton-planters, who have so 

 much at stake, should at once take active 

 steps to create public sentiment in the state 

 in order that at the next session of the legis- 

 lature the agricultural interests of the whole 

 state should not be set aside by the paltry 

 interests of less than half-a-dozen men who 



