﻿State 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  

   Education 
  Department 
  

  

  commissioner's 
  room 
  

  

  April 
  8, 
  1908 
  

   The 
  economic 
  value 
  of 
  birds, 
  the 
  aid 
  which 
  they 
  bring 
  to 
  common 
  

   culture, 
  and 
  the 
  stimulus 
  which 
  they 
  give 
  to 
  moral 
  sense, 
  constitute 
  ample 
  

   warrant 
  for 
  supplying 
  accurate 
  and 
  scientific 
  information 
  about 
  birds 
  

   and 
  bird 
  life, 
  at 
  the 
  expense 
  of 
  the 
  State. 
  Our 
  State 
  has 
  already 
  done 
  

   something 
  to 
  this 
  end, 
  and 
  what 
  it 
  did 
  was 
  well 
  done, 
  for 
  it 
  devoted 
  one 
  

   of 
  the 
  sumptuous 
  volumes 
  of 
  the 
  Natural 
  History 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  to 
  the 
  

   subject. 
  But 
  that 
  was 
  before 
  most 
  people 
  now 
  living 
  were 
  born. 
  It 
  is 
  

   said, 
  no 
  doubt 
  with 
  truth, 
  that 
  that 
  work 
  has 
  been 
  the 
  main 
  reliance 
  of 
  

   serious 
  students 
  of 
  ornithology 
  and 
  the 
  main 
  inspiration 
  of 
  substantial 
  

   popular 
  interest 
  in 
  birds, 
  not 
  only 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  but 
  beyond 
  our 
  borders, 
  

   for 
  more 
  than 
  sixty 
  years. 
  Certainly, 
  popular 
  interest 
  in 
  the 
  subject 
  has 
  

   both 
  widened 
  and 
  deepened. 
  The 
  present 
  needs 
  were 
  brought 
  officially 
  

   to 
  my 
  attention 
  by 
  Dr 
  John 
  M. 
  Clarke, 
  the 
  Director 
  of 
  the 
  Science 
  Division 
  

   of 
  this 
  Department, 
  very 
  soon 
  after 
  the 
  organization 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  Depart- 
  

   ment, 
  and 
  he 
  was 
  authorized 
  to 
  go 
  forward 
  with 
  the 
  preparation 
  of 
  a 
  work 
  

   that 
  would 
  meet 
  these 
  needs, 
  with 
  the 
  assurance 
  that 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  pub- 
  

   lished 
  by 
  the 
  State 
  if 
  it 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  widely 
  comprehensive 
  of 
  the 
  subject, 
  

   was 
  given 
  a 
  form 
  which 
  would 
  appeal 
  to 
  popular 
  interest, 
  and 
  was 
  marked 
  

   by 
  scientific 
  accuracy 
  for 
  which 
  he 
  would 
  vouch. 
  Even 
  so 
  much 
  as 
  this 
  

   appears 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  realized, 
  and 
  publication 
  is 
  approved. 
  

  

  Commissioner 
  of 
  Education 
  

  

  