ILLINOIS AUDUBON SOCIETY 27 



Destruction or Lotus Beds 



In October last the Waukegan Daily Sun reported that the 

 fad for decorating homes with gilded seed pods was endangering 

 the propagation of the lotus flowers in the Grass Lake area in 

 Lake County. Commercial interests in Chicago were gathering 

 seed pods of the lotus at Grass Lake and carting them away in 

 great motor trucks. A large force of men was employed in 

 placing these pods in crates and many tons of these crates were 

 hauled into Chicago. 



It was though by some that the seeds would fall out of the 

 pods before the pods were gathered but an examination of pods 

 on sale during the past winter months showed that most of the 

 seeds were still in place. The Waukegan Sun makes the grave 

 prediction that because of this onslaught the lotus beds will be 

 greatly depleted. It states that many Lake County residents are 

 aroused over the danger that menaces these beautiful natural 

 flower beds, and are endeavoring to find what can be done to 

 halt the practice. 



The Waukegan Sun, by the way, led the opposition in Lake 

 County four years ago to the establishment of Forest Preserves 

 and was influential in securing the defeat of the measure. The 

 conservation program thus defeated specifically included Grass 

 Lake and adjoining areas. 



Federal Licenses ana Game Refuges 



We print with approval the following paragraphs from the 

 latest Bulletin of the Massachusetts Audubon Society. 



Passage of the New-Anthony bill to provide for Federal 

 licenses to hunt migratory birds and for the establishment of 

 game refuges and public shooting-grounds for such birds 

 would affect about 5,000,000 American sportsmen, the Bureau 

 of Biological Survey, United States Department of Agriculture, 

 estimates. The bill has been favorably reported by the Senate 

 committee on public lands and surveys. In the House the bill 

 is in the committee on agriculture. 



The bill provides that each hunter of migratory birds shall 

 obtain a Federal license, at a cost of $1 for the season, the 

 licenses to be issued at any post office in the United States. 

 Out of the proceeds not less than 45 per cent is to be spent by 

 the Government, through a proposed Migratory Bird Refuge 

 Commission, in buying or renting land suitable for the estab- 

 lishment of migratory game bird refuges which would serve as 

 breeding and feeding places for birds during the period of their 

 flight north, or the closed season, and as public shooting-grounds 

 during the open season. An additional 45 per cent will be used 

 for the enforcement of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the 

 Lacey Act, and the remaining 10 per cent for expenses in 

 issuing licenses and other administrative expenses. 



