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THE AUDUBON BULLETIN 



THE AUDUBON BULLETIN 



WINTER 1918 



Published by the 



ILLINOIS AUDUBON SOCIETY 

 For the Conservation of Bird-Life 



COMMITTEE 

 ON PUBLICATION 



JESSE LOWE SMITH, Chairman 

 Highland Park 



MISS MARY DRUMMOND 

 Lake Forest 



MRS. FREDERIC H. PATTEE 



Evanston 



MISS CATHERINE MITCHELL 

 Riverside 



MR. 0. M. SCHANTZ 



10 So. La Salle St., Chicago 



MR. FREDERIC H. PATTEE 



626 S. Clark St., Chicago 



Reference should once more be made 

 to the warning card relating to bird pro- 

 tection which the Illinois Audubon Society 

 publishes and distributes free of cost. This 

 card, which was reproduced in facsimile 

 in the Spring, 1917, Bulletin, is of suit- 

 able size for mailing or for direct distri- 

 bution. An illustration on the front of the 

 card calls attention to its purpose and tells . 

 where to apply for assistance in securing 

 the prosecution of violators of the law. 

 The reverse side of the card summarizes 

 the laws, state and national, for the pro- 

 tection of birds and calls the attention of 

 constables to their duties and opportuni- 

 ties under the law. The editor of an Ital- 

 ian newspaper has kindly furnished a ver- 

 sion of it in Italian and an edition in that 

 language has also been printed. 



The Directors of the Illinois Audubon 

 Society believe that these warning cards 

 can be used effectively by those who are 

 willing to take a positive stand for law 

 enforcement in their community and will 

 work to arouse a public sentiment which 

 will demand such enforcement. There are 

 many areas in Illinois where very import- 

 ant results will surely follow from work of 

 this kind. It is advised that workers make 

 friendly calls upon each constable and pre- 

 sent him with a copy of the warning card. 

 Friendly calls upon hunters for a similar 



purpose might frequently result in co-op- 

 eration and greatly reduce the number of 

 violations of the law. The local papers 

 will print the contents of the warning card 

 in their news columns upon request. The 

 Illinois Audubon Society can loan an elec- 

 trotype if it is desired to print a facsimile. 

 In some instances it may seem best that 

 warning notices be mailed to offenders 

 directly by the President of the Illinois 

 Audubon Society and this will be done 

 whenever plainly written mailing lists are 

 sent to him. 



One does not get far these days without 

 some reference to the Great War and so 

 the statement is pertinent that the war is 

 revealing the economic importance of bird 

 life to many who have hitherto given the 

 subject little or no consideration. The 

 necessity which war conditions create of 

 making a close inquiry into our national 

 assets and the best methods of conserving 

 them is bringing out clearer than ever the 

 fact that bird life is a national asset and 

 that its conservation is of national signifi- 

 cance. All who have been working for 

 bird protection during these past years 

 have really been working for national pre- 

 paredness, for conservation of national re- 

 sources. Protection of the insectivorous 

 birds, let it be said therefore, is one way 

 of increasing our national assets, it is a 

 way of conserving food products. 



During the winter months ahead of us 

 it will be contributing to economic pre- 

 paredness to see that our winter bird 

 visitors do not lack food. Feeding shelves 

 should be set up and kept inviting for 

 bird guests. There should be cornstalk 

 wigwams for the quails, suet, and chunks 

 of meat fastened to trees for the nut- 

 hatches and their kind, and cleared spaces 

 maintained for scattering food for all 

 sorts of bird visitors. Farmers' institutes 

 will be in session during these coming 

 months and there will be valuable oppor- 

 tunities to acquaint people with the rela- 

 tion between crops and the bird life on the 

 farms. There will be opportunities to 

 advertise the work of the Illinois Audubon 

 Society and to enroll organizations and 

 individuals on its membership list. It will 

 be a good time to make use of the travel- 

 ling libraries of the Illinois Audubon So- 

 ciety and of its collections of colored 

 lantern slides. 



