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Bird- Lore 



clothing, go the birds; into his grip, a few 

 more; large-sized cigar boxes are used for 

 conveniently expressing half a dozen quail 

 to a friend, or perhaps a starch, or even 

 larger grocery box may be utilized. This 

 accusation is not based upon speculation, 

 for I know half a dozen sportsmen who dis- 

 pose of the game they kill in this way quite as 

 a matter of course, as if they considered the 

 non-transportation clause as applying only 

 to the market hunter who sells his game. 



They sell game, they, the thoroughbred 

 sportsmen ? Never ! they merely use it as 

 courtesy coin to pay off little social debts to 

 their friends, and especially their friends' 

 wives. 



And these wives? — bigoted Audubonites 

 some of them, too, who even have ethical 

 qualms about using geese-feather pillows — 

 do they decline to receive these smuggled 

 birds and become parties of the second part 

 by eating them ? Not a bit of it. The- 

 worse of the whole matter is that the law 

 cannot cope with the breach of itself at all 

 unless game custom-houses could be estab- 

 lished at all state lines, which is of course 

 an impossibility. Yet in this, as in many 

 other differences between the law and the 

 lady, no greater aid can be had in the work- 

 ing out of justice than that which comes 

 from the lady herself. The woman who 

 teaches her children humanity and to keep 

 their fingers out of nests, and banishes for- 

 bidden plumes from her head-gear, must go 

 a step further and refuse to accept as a gift 

 game either out of season or shipped against 

 the law, just as she would refuse to buy smug- 

 gled goods, even if it robs her table of one 

 of the attractions that as a good housewife 

 she greatly covets. — M. O. W. 



National Committee Notes 



Bv THE Chairman 



The matter of incorporation progresses 

 slowly, but surely. The charter, constitu- 

 tion and by-laws are being prepared verj' 

 carefully, necessarily by means of corres- 

 pondence, which entails delay ; however, 

 it is better to be a little slow in the begin- 

 ning than to make haste and mistakes. 



It has been decided to substitute the word 



"Association" for "Committee" in our 

 title, because the former word more clearly 

 expresses the relation of the central body to 

 the several state societies, the American 

 Ornithologists' Union and the supporting 

 public. In addition, our attorney states 

 that the substitution will simplify the act of 

 incorporation, as it will render unnecessary 

 considerable advertising which would have 

 to be done in case the present title were 

 continued. 



-The Chairman dislikes to be compelled 

 to revert to the subject of money so often, 

 but a deficit of over $300 at the present 

 writing, for which he is personally respon- 

 sible, causes considerable worry and uneasi- 

 ness. Certainly among the readers of 

 Bird-Lore there should be some who are 

 willing to share this burden. 



It is gratifying to learn that the Republic 

 of Mexico is awakening to the value of bird 

 life to agriculture. Her Commission of Agri- 

 culture is distributing literature, forming 

 ornithological leagues and revising state 

 laws for bird protection. Dr. A. Meraz, 

 of the Commission, has requested the privi- 

 lege of using the electros of the illustrations 

 of our Educational Leaflets in its publi- 

 cations. In response to this request, a 

 complete set of electros have been shipped 

 to him. As so many of our birds either 

 winter in or pass through Mexico during 

 the migration seasons, it is very pleasant 

 to be able to thus establish international 

 relations for the protection of birds. It is 

 hoped that such relations may some day 

 be established with the Central and South 

 American countries, in order that plume- 

 hunting may be stopped there, thus cutting 

 off one of the sources of supply for the 

 London feather trade. This is the only 

 method by which the beautiful Humming- 

 birds and the few remaining American 

 White Herons can be saved. 



In the May-June number of Bird-Lore 

 mention was made that the Navy Depart- 

 ment, at the request of the Committee, had 

 directed that the birds on Midway Island, a 

 Pacific cable station, should be protected. 

 That this order is being carried out the 

 following newspaper item proves : " A cable- 

 gram has been received from Lieut. C. S. 



