44 



THE AUDUBON BULLETIN 



STREATOR : The Spring campaign is proving successful in the high- 

 est degree. The two clubs organized by Miss Marian Hoadley and Mrs. 

 Benalleck have increased to twenty with a total membership of about 500. 

 Through the influence of the ladies mentioned and of other Audubon 

 workers a majority of the various parents' and teachers' associations of the 

 city exploited birds in their programs. One of these associations, that of the 

 Plumb School, organized five Audubon clubs. One outcome of activity of 

 this sort was a bird house contest which ended April 2 with an exhibit of 

 300 houses. These were set up in the long corridor on the first floor of the 

 Grant School. This was lined along its entire sides and there was a double 

 row through the center and still there were more bird houses, so one 

 room was vacated and given over to the exhibit. Included in it were 

 the hand-made booklets worked out by two Audubon clubs showing the 

 work done by them during the past few months. The Commercial Club, 

 Civic League, two of the newspapers, two literary societies, and several 

 teachers and other interested individuals had furnished thirty-seven prizes 

 and as the work was of unusual excellence the judges had no easy task 

 in making the awards. Throughout the afternoon and evening of the day 

 the houses were on exhibition great crowds came and went and all were 

 unanimous in declaring the exhibit one of the most interesting ever dis- 

 played in the Streater schools. In connection with the exhibit the Grant 

 Parents'-Teachers' Club gave a program at which time City Attorney T. G. 

 Essington gave a very interesting talk on how to study birds in the field. 

 The bird slides loaned by the Illinois Audubon Society were used in 

 Streator during the progress of the contest and helped to create and 

 increase public interest. 



VAN D ALIA : This city also reports a bird house contest which has at- 

 tracted attention throughout that part of the state. The contest was pro- 

 moted by the publishers of the Vandalia Union and was open to all children 

 under sixteen living in Fayette county, of which Vandalia is the county seat. 

 On March 24 two hundred contestants from various school of the county* 

 were present with their nesting boxes and the public display in front of 

 the courthouse was witnessed by hundreds of people. At a gathering of 



the contestants and their 

 friends in the Dixey theater, 

 in the afternoon prizes were 

 awarded to eighteen pupils. 

 Rev. J. W. Ramsey who 

 awarded the prizes gave a 

 fine talk to the young people 

 about the value of birds and 

 how to attract them. The 

 publishers of the Union gave 

 much newspaper space to 

 notices of the contest and in 

 addition they obtained a sup- 

 ply of government bulletins 

 w. w. Rathbone-Photo. which were distributed to 

 coopers hawk good advantage. 



