996 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



In America several States have stopped the 

 sale of the plumage of North American hirds for 

 milliners' use, but the sale of such foreign birds 

 as birds of paradise still goes on generally! 

 This is entirely wrong 



We have asked Congress to take the action 

 that will forever wash our hands of the 

 blood of these beautiful creatures, so far 

 as millinery is concerned. The National Asso- 

 ciation of Audubon Societies is with us — or we 

 are with it, whichever it may be ! Australia 

 has already enacted such a law as we are asking 

 for. In that country the national watchword 

 is "Advance, Australia!" The Australians have 

 done so, and we are sorry we were not the 

 first to reach the goal. 



The cause is a great one — well worth striving 

 for. It is worth while to work for a cause that, 

 when successful, sweeps a shame and an abuse 

 from half a continent ! While the matter is not 

 so great as the migratory bird bill, it is still so 

 great, so far-reaching and so admirable when 

 done that it ma.j well claim the attention and 

 the efforts of the best people of America. 



The time has now arrived when every Ameri- 

 can woman, and also every man, who desires to 

 strike a hard blow in defense of the persecuted 

 birds of the world can do so. It can be de- 

 livered by writing in behalf of the Society's 

 provision, directly and immediately, to all mem- 

 bers of Congress outside the State of New York. 

 The New York members need no urging on this 

 measure ! 



Think what it would mean to end, for the 

 whole United States, by only six lines of nation- 

 al law, the disgraceful bird-slaughter that now 

 is going on in response to the demands of the 

 traders in American fashions ! 



Of course, the National Milliners' Associa- 

 tion will vigorously oppose our measure. It 

 will denounce it as "unconstitutional," "confis- 

 catory," "class legislation" and "oppressive." 

 We expect all that, and more. Possibly one- 

 tenth of one per cent, of the American people 

 will be represented by that opposition ; but will 

 they prevail against the 99.9 per cent, who are 

 firmh' opposed to bird slaughter for the en- 

 richment of "the feather trade"? 



Ask your Congressmen to maintain our 

 clause, unchanged! 



Henry Fairfield Osborn, 

 President New York Zoological Society. 

 Madison Grant, 

 Chairman Executive Committee. 

 William T. Hornaday, 

 Director New York Zoological Park. 



HENRY FORD BECOMES BIRD 

 PROTECTOR. 



THE ranks of the bird protectors of 

 America have had a great accession of 

 strength and activity. Three months ago 

 Henry Ford, of Detroit, manufacturer of auto- 

 mobiles, became so stirred up by the slaughter 

 and disappearance of American birds that he 

 began a tremendously vigorous independent 

 campaign for better laws and better protection. 

 His first efforts have been concentrated on the 

 support of the McLean bill for the Federal pro- 

 tection of all migratory birds, a measure which 

 for the past year has been urged upon Congress 

 b}^ many organizations that are actively engaged 

 in saving our American birds. No bill ever be- 

 fore Congress affecting bird life has been so 

 generally or so actively pressed as that which 

 aims to place all migratory birds, about 600 

 species in all, under the protection of the De- 

 partment of Agriculture. The six national so- 

 cieties in New York have been particularly ac- 

 tive; but the movement lias embraced the whole 

 nation, from Boston to San Francisco. 



Mr. Ford's advertising men in Chicago, un- 

 der the direction of Mr. Glen Buck, were in- 

 structed to make the promotion of the McLean 

 bill the chief business of their lives. Late in March 

 Mr. Ford's final directions to Mr. Buck were: 

 "Go to Washington and don't return until that 

 bird bill has been passed !" 



Only the men on the firing-line can quickly 

 appreciate what Mr. Ford's interest has meant 

 to the McLean bill. A thousand newspapers 

 have been supplied with articles, of at leasi; 

 twenty different kinds, intended to awaken the 

 sleeping American people. Thousands of tele- 

 grams have been sent in all directions, demand- 

 ing attention for the bill and help in placing the 

 needs of the birds before the people. For the 

 first time, "big business" has been called upon 

 for help, by a voice strong enough to compel 

 attention. 



Every bird lover in America, when the news 

 is published, will rejoice and be thankful that a 

 man like Henry Ford, with great resources at 

 his command, has entered the lists as a cham- 

 pion of wild life, at this critical period of the 

 struggle. 



The cause of protection is literally starving 

 for campaign funds, and it is a refreshing nov- 

 elty to see campaign work on a large scale pros- 

 ecuted without the embarrassment of weighing 

 and measuring every dollar before it is ex- 

 pended. 



