36 THE AUDUBON BULLETIN 



Letter from Henry K. Coale 



The Winter 1917-1918 Bulletin called forth a letter of congratula- 

 tion from Mr. Henry K. Coale of Highland Park, an ornithologist as 

 well as a business man, who has for many years been a frequent con- 

 tributor to the Auk. In the early days of the Field Museum Mr. Coale 

 as a member of the staff had an important part in building up the 

 ornithological collection and his correspondence with and contributions 

 to museums in various parts of the world since that time have given 

 him a rather unique place among the orinthologists of this country. 

 Mr. Coale writes : 



Thank you very much for the Winter Bulletin of your society. I 

 was especially interested in your article on Robert Ridgway, whom I 

 have known for over forty years ; also in the list of birds of Illinois by 

 Mr. Gault. 



I thought you might like to know what the Australian Ornitholo- 

 gists think of the Society, and quote from, J. A. Leache's "An Austral- 

 ian Bird Book," published in Melbourne 1912, page 114 as follows: 



"In America the Audubon Society has done splendid work by dis- 

 seminating knowledge about American birds, and arousing public in- 

 terest in the value of birds. There, also, thorough scientific investiga- 

 tion has been made of the value of insect-eating and seed-eating birds. 

 It has been stated, as the result of full research, that one wild pigeon, 

 in whose crop over 7000 weed seeds were found was as efficacious in 

 destroying weeds as two farm laborers." 



"On the lines of the American Audubon Society, the Gould League 

 of Bird Lovers has recently been established. Just as Audubon was 

 the great father of American ornithology, so "John Gould, the bird 

 man," was the father of Australian ornithology, hence his name has 

 been associated with this movement to save our birds. The movement 

 is progressing by leaps and bounds. 



The Victorian branch has a very large body of members, about 

 40,000 certificates having already been issued to adults and children. 

 Tasmania has a branch in full operation. In South Australia bird 

 clubs are doing excellent work, especially amongst the young people, 

 and Queensland and New South Wales bird-lovers have taken active 

 steps to develop the movement in their States, A Bird Day, by order 

 of the Minister of Education, Hon. A. A. Billson and the Director, Mr. 

 F. Tate, was observed in Victorian schools in 1909 and 1910, with 

 gratifying results. Bird-nesting, for the collection of eggs, has prac- 

 tically wholly disappeared from our schools, while at most country 

 schools native birds can be seen nesting on the school grounds, the 

 children keeping observation notes of nesting and feeding habits of the 

 birds as part of their work in Nature-Study. What study is of greater 

 economic importance to this wealthy,' though occasionally insect 

 troubled, land?" 



