ILLINOIS AUDUBON SOCIETY 45 



SOMONAUK: The pride of the countryside in this area is an almost 

 continuous belt of woodland which extends along Somonauk Creek for a 

 distance of fifteen miles or more. There is typical bottom-land timber 

 with fine large trees and on the higher ground there are occasionally almost 

 pure stands of hickory in fine, healthy condition. Some of the property 

 owners and other interested persons are trying to work out a plan for the 

 permanent preservation of the woodland and its formal incorporation into 

 a bird sanctuary. Mr. O. M. Schantz, President of the Illinois Audubon 

 Society was invited to help in arousing public interest and on Nov. 23, he 

 addressed a large audience at Somonauk, his theme being the economic 

 value of bird life and the preservation of forest areas. 



STREATOR : A keen interest in birds, which has long existed in 

 this community has been especially evident recently. Miss Marion 

 Hoadley lends enthusiasm to Junior Club work in the schools, and through 

 her enterprise a stereopticon lecture on birds was recently given in the 

 High School, with the aid of the Society's slides. 



The Parent-Teachers Club of the Plumb School, of which one of 

 the leading spirits is Mrs. Roy Sexton, has planned an interesting and 

 comprehensive program of Nature Study. Trees, shrubs, flowers, ferns 

 and birds all have a special place on the program, and the enterprise 

 should prove a most profitable one for the community. The January meet- 

 ing was devoted to birds, and the large audience which assembled found 

 much pleasure in the beautiful bird portraits thrown on the screen with 

 the assistance of the Society's slides. 



SYCAMORE : Rev. G. H. Ashworth, the enterprising pastor of 

 the Universalist church of Sycamore, gave two Sunday evening pro- 

 grams to the subject of birds, using the slides furnished by the Illinois 

 Audubon Society. He is endeavoring "to make his community better 

 acquainted with the birds and the nature of their service to man." 



VIRDEN : A feature of the very successful "institute" conducted by 

 the Woman's Club and the Corn Clubs of Virden was a lecture on bird life 

 and its economic importance by Mr. O. M. Schantz of Chicago. This was 

 illustrated by lantern slides selected from the "traveling sets" owned by the 

 Illinois Audubon Society. Virden is in the midst of a very fine farming 

 country in "the corn belt" where Osage orange hedges and trees planted 

 for wind breaks and for shelter about houses constitute most of the refuges 

 for birds that haunt wooded areas. 



WAUKEGAN': A lecture by Harold Baynes here early in September 

 awakened fresh interest in organized work which has resulted in a per- 

 manent organization with Mrs. Elam Clarke as President and Mr. W. F. 

 Lyon as Secretary-Treasurer. A Board of Directors has been named and 

 by-laws for the club adopted. The club has set itself two special tasks, 

 one having to do with the organization of Junior work in all the schools of 

 Waukegan. As a "starter" a copy of Baynes' "Wild Bird Guests" has 

 been presented to each of the schools to be used as a sort of textbook for 



