14 



JOURNAL OF MAINE OR NITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



Letters from the following absent 

 members were read: Prof. J. Y. Stan- 

 ton, Hon. L. T. Carleton, Prof. Austin 

 P. Larrabee, Prof. Ora W. K'night, 

 Hon. James Carroll Mead and Clarence 

 E. Sawyer, Esq. 



Upon the instance of Prof. Knights' 

 letters, a letter written to him, by 

 Mary Crosby, bearing upon various 

 causes and methods of bird destruction 

 and advocating compulsory teaching ol 

 protective principles in the common 

 public schools, was read. The report 

 of the Treasurer showed a slight bal- 

 ance in the treasury. 



The Secretary's report showed a 

 total membership of 50 last year. 

 Lost by death 1 



Lost by resignation, 2 



Admitted during year: 

 Active members, 

 Associate members, 



47 



19 

 19 



85 total 



In addition to the fourth volume of 

 tne Journal, the Society has publish- 

 ed a circular. Circular No. 1, for the 

 purpose of increasing its membership. 

 The cores pond ence of the Society, be- 

 side that of a routine nature, has been 

 with the chairman of the National Au- 

 dubon Society, several state societies 

 and individuals in the state, interested 

 in the organization of an Audubon So- 

 ciety in Maine. These communications 

 were in the nature of appeals to this 

 Society. One communication asking 

 the recommendation of works on east- 

 ern birds, and one on Maine birds were 

 also addressed to the Secretary's office. 



This office also received the following 

 valuable and interesting communica- 

 tion: 



New York, May 5, 1902 

 My xJear Mr. Norton, 



I send you some excerpts from a 

 letter just received, which may be of 

 use in the forthcoming list of Maine 

 Birds. Very truly yours, 



WM. DUTCHER. 



Excerpts from Chas. F. Seeley's let- 

 ter, light keeper and engineer, Machi- 

 as Seal Island, Maine. 



"We have a large number of puffins, 

 I should say, hundreds of them and I 

 am told, this is the only place, with 

 the exception of one more island, on 

 the coast, where they breed. We never 

 allow anyone to shoot them except for 

 scientific purposes. I cannot tell you 

 how many tern we have, many hun- 

 dreds of them. There are three kinds 

 of them, The Willson's, Artie, and I 

 think the Crested. They come about 

 the middle of May and leave in Sept- 

 with many hiundreds of their young. 

 Then we have Leache's Petrel in abun- 

 dance. They burrow in the earth and 

 hide in day time, and come out after 

 dark and sing all night. We have a 

 number of very pretty swallows. They 

 build in the barn, boat house and 

 around the eaves of the engine room. 

 There are also a few gray birds, that 

 breed here. When we came here, 

 there were only terns, puffins and 

 petrels breeding here." "We have spent 

 many a pleasant hour, in connection 

 with the birds, coming and going. One 

 time my little daughter found a little 

 humming bird almost drowned in a 

 barrel of water in the engine room. She 

 brought him to the house and worked 

 with him, till he revived, feeding him 

 with sugar and water, which he re- 

 ceived from her mouth, lapping it 

 with his tongue. She kept him till she 

 saw another one, and thinking u 

 might be his mate, put it out on a 

 flower and it went away with the 

 mate. We have them visit us every 



