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Bird - Lore 



an intelligent interest in the preservation of 

 their birds ; even the beneficial Hawks are 

 protected, although the unfortunate Owls 

 were not included in the list of protected 

 birds. 



The legislative fight is now on in the 

 state of Louisiana, the session having com- 

 menced on the ist of May, when bills for 

 the protection of the game and none-game 

 birds were introduced. 



A great deal of splendid preparatory work 

 has been done by the Louisiana Audubon 

 Society which should, and it is hoped will, 

 accomplish the passage of the bills; how- 

 ever, a most determined fight may be ex- 

 pected, as it is found that there is a class of 

 sportsmen and bird epicures who are object- 

 ing to any law that will not permit them to 

 kill " nice, fat Robins, Catbirds, Wood 

 Thrushes and Red-eyed Vireos." These 

 birds have so long been sold in the markets 

 of New Orleans for the "pot" or "toasting 

 fork" that it is hard for some people to relin- 

 quish this privilege; further, the cage-bird 

 dealers, i.e., those who want to capture 

 and ship out of the state, to foreign coun- 

 tries, Mockingbirds, Cardinals, Nonpareils 

 and Indigo Buntings, will join forces and 

 try to defeat bird legislation. However, the 

 decent sentiment of the state is becoming 

 aroused, as they see staring them in the face 

 the fate of Texas with its boll -weevil 

 scourge. 



If Louisiana passes the model law this 

 year every coastwise state of the United 

 States will have adopted the law with the 

 exception of South Carolina, Alabama and 

 California ; and it must be said to the 

 credit of Alabama, what cannot be said for 

 South Carolina and California, that no at- 

 tempt has ever been made by the Committee 

 to have the model law adopted. 



Warden service has been arranged for the 

 present year in all of the localities covered 

 at the last breeding season, and in addition 

 the Committee are protecting the breeding 

 Water Birds in the lake region of Oregon, 

 in cooperation with Mr. J. W. Baker, 

 Game and F'orestry Warden. 



The Committee is pleased to report that 

 the Navy Department has directed the Su- 



perintendent of the Cable Company at 

 Midway Island to prevent the destruction of 

 the birds of that island. 



It is pleasant to confirm the statement 

 made in March Bird-Lore, that an Audu- 

 bon Society would be at work in Cali- 

 fornia before the June issue was published ; 

 on March 25 the organization was accom- 

 plished at Pasadena; it is exceedingly active 

 and will exert a great influence at the next 

 session of the legislature. The plan proposed 

 is to establish local or county societies 

 throughout the state, each with its own offi- 

 cers, and also to organize a state federation 

 which will become a part of the National 

 Committee. The work of organizing addi- 

 tional societies is going on rapidly under the 

 guidance of Mr. W. Scott Way, secretary, 

 who is proving himself to be a first-class 

 leader; he is being ably seconded by the 

 trenchant pen of the friend of birds and 

 forests, Mrs. McCrackin, of Wrights. 



Educational work is progressing satis- 

 factorily ; the South Carolina Audubon 

 Society is thoroughly awakened to the im- 

 portance of educating the people of their 

 state so that at the next session of the 

 legislature a demand will be made for a 

 satisfactory bird-law. In Michigan the 

 Audubon Society is making great strides 

 and will undoubtedly be able to have the 

 model law adopted at the next session of 

 the legislature. 



The demands for the educational leaflets 

 of the Committee are greater every day, 

 especially from state and county superin- 

 tendents, teachers and libraries. It is 

 greativ to be regretted that the National 

 Committee is not in a financial position to 

 make a systematic and determined effort to 

 place our educational leaflets in every public 

 school in the country. 



The demand for the Snowy Heron or 

 aigrette leaflet still continues very large, 

 and it was only a few days since that a 

 request was received from the Royal Botani- 

 cal Society of London for a complete set of 

 the educational publications of the National 

 Committee for display in the educational 

 pavilion of the Grand Horticultural Exhibi- 

 tion to be held in June. — W. D. 



