46 THE AUDUBON BULLETIN 



regards the bird life of Chicago then and now. Of the pretty 

 and interesting Wilson's Phalarope he says : "Very common summer resident 

 in this vicinity." It is almost absent now. He gives many shore-birds and 

 wild ducks and others as breeding in the Calumet and Sag regions and in 

 other places, that are now hardly seen here, let alone being found 

 breeding here. Their haunts, so full of rich and interesting life, have now 

 largely been turned into fields and factories, some chemical factories with 

 their evil smelling effluvia and smoke. It may be necessary, but how one 

 hates to see such changes ! 



Who of the readers of this Bulletin, owning a large or small slough or 

 marsh, perhaps undrainable and therefore useless to him or her, will com- 

 municate with the Illinois Audubon Society, with a view of making this a 

 swamp bird-sanctuary ? Should we not preserve some of these natural 

 monuments and remainders as well as reminders of what this region once 

 was, and not force them to leave us forever? Let us do it, and do it soon. 



River Forest, Illinois. 



G. Eifrig. 



A Successful Contest at Savanna 



Mrs. Margaret Greenleaf of Savanna and her children have for many 

 years derived great pleasure and learned much of interest from their bird 

 neighbors. Wishing to interest other children in birds, Mrs. Greenleaf 

 planned last April a contest in the erection of bird houses, shelters, etc. 

 This was to be open to any pupil in the graded schools of her city. Prizes 

 of five, three, and two dollars were to be given for the most meritorious 

 work. Mr. C. H. LeVitt, Superintendent of the city school, cooperated 

 heartily and procured plans for bird houses from various sources for the use 

 of the contestants. It is putting it very mildly to say that the pupils of the 

 upper grades were very enthusiastic. They scoured near-by woods for 

 material for rustic houses. Some of the parents of children who were 

 participating in the contest said that at their homes the building of new 

 and suitable homes for the birds had for the time being eclipsed everything 

 else of importance. The manual training teacher gladly gave aid and 

 suggestions. One lad who had built an elaborate and beautiful martin 

 house asked for permission to enter another one and this being granted 

 built a beautiful wren house of rustic design. 



The bird houses were to be judged at an evening meeting of the Parent- 

 Teacher Association and when the room in which the bird houses were on 

 exhibition was thrown open it was indeed a pretty sight. While the judges 

 were making the awards, an interesting and instructive program was given 

 on "Birds of our Vicinity, Their Habits, etc.", placing especial emphasis 

 upon their friendliness and their willingness to become tenants of houses 

 provided for their occupancy. The enterprising youngsters had placed 

 prices upon their creations and the men and women of the Association had 

 become so imbued with enthusiasm for bird neighbors that nearly all of the 

 houses entered in the contest were sold and orders were given for many 

 more. One lad later on sold eleven wren houses alone. Prices ranged from 

 three dollars down to twenty-five cents. They varied greatly in architecture, 

 size, and material used. It is a conservative estimate to say that more than 



