ILLINOIS AUDUBON SOCIETY 35 



No recommendations have as yet been made with reference to state 

 forest land areas. The development of the plans for the new state highway 

 system may suggest extensions or alterations of park boundaries but even 

 the tentative outline of a system of state parks as proposed must make a 

 profound appeal to all who give thought to the future welfare of our state. 

 It is unnecessary to dwell upon the significance of a program of state parks 

 and state forest-land areas for the conservation of bird life. 



Frederic H. Pattee. 



Making Game Wardens of School Children 



I am supposed to write something about the enforcement of the laws 

 protecting song birds. First of all 1 wish to say that as Editor of the 

 Illinois Sportsman and an active member of the Sportsmen's League I 

 speak with authority when 1 assert that contrary to the opinion of some 

 people the sportsmen are the friends of our little feathered friends and 

 are heartily in favor of any law that will serve to keep up the supply. This 

 will apply to an overwhelming majority of those who use a gun in the 

 field, the few exceptions being mostly those who are lacking in education 

 on the importance of conserving our wild birds. At the last big confer- 

 ence of sportsmen held in Springfield, which was during the 1919 session 

 of the General Assembly, among those present were representatives of the 

 Illinois Audubon Society, all of whom received a cordial reception and 

 were invited to take part in the proceedings. If they did not get what 

 they w r anted from the legislature it was not the fault of the sportsmen. 



I am connected with the Illinois Division of Game and Fish. Last 

 April Chief Warden Ralph F. Bradford, of Springfield, conceived the 

 idea that it would be a splendid plan to have the various employees go out 

 and make a special drive for the protection of the birds. My instructions 

 were to visit the police officers and others in authority in my district asking 

 them to report any cases where song birds were lulled or nests robbed. I 

 was to call on the school teachers, especially the superintendents, asking 

 their co-operation in the work. My territory consists of Clinton, Bond 

 and Montgomery counties. 1 started out with the expectation of getting 

 by without doing any direct talking to the children, being under the im- 

 pression that perhaps the teachers might not want to give the time, but it 

 did not take long to convince me that the people were practically 100 per 

 cent, in favor of preserving our song birds. The officers of the law, school 

 teachers, newspaper editors, all declared that it was one of the best moves 

 ever made and promised to cc -operate in every way. One newspaper editor 

 who is among the leaders of his profession in the state, gave my hand a 

 vigorous shake and said: "Let me congratulate your department. I have 

 been a wild life conservationist for many, many years, and of song birds in 

 particular. It is one of the best moves ever made by the state. Educate 

 the boys while they are in school to the importance of protecting our birds 

 and you've won more than half the battle. I am with you, ditto my paper." 

 This was a sample of the greetings I received. 



In Litchfield we had a real bird day celebration. On my first visit the 

 superintendent of the public schools suggested that we make a big time of 

 it, so he arranged for the use of the movie theatre building. That morn- 

 ing we had two lectures by Prof. J. D. Gilbert, of Carbondale, who spoke 

 to almost a thousand pupils from all the schools of the city. It was illus- 



