BRINGING BACK THE 

 PLUME BIRDS 



By T. Gilbert Pearson, Secretary National 

 Association of Audubon Societies 



One of the lines of activity in which the National 

 Association of Audubon Societies has been engaged 

 for a number of years past, is the restoration of cer- 

 tain species of wild water-birds which were threath- 

 ened with extinction owing to their slaughter by the 

 field-agents of the great millinery firms. 



Among the species that were in most danger of 

 being wiped out in this country were the gulls, terns, 

 grebes, pelicans, eider ducks, roseate spoonbills, ibises, 

 and the two species of white egrets. When the As- 

 sociation took up its work these birds could legally 

 be killed in virtually every State of the Union. The 

 first duty of the Audubon workers, therefore, was to 

 secure the enactment of laws making it illegal to kill 

 non-game birds at any season of the year. 



The "Audubon Law," for the enactment of which 

 the Association battled furiously for many years, has 

 been adopted by the legislatures of nearly all the 

 States. This first step having been accomplished at- 

 tention was turned to enforcing the law, particularly 

 during the season when the birds would gather in 

 their nesting-colonies. The Association, therefore, 

 has collected funds for this purpose each season for 

 a number of years. The Audubon wardens now 

 guard virtually every colony of water-birds on the 

 Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States, as well 

 as about many lakes of the interior. 



