496 
FOREST AND STREAM 
September, 1920 
FOREST^STREAM 
FORTY-NINTH YEAR 
FOUNDERS OF THE AUDUBON SOCIETY 
ADVISORY BOARD 
GEORGE BIRD GRINNELL, New York, N. Y. 
CARE E. AKKLEY, American Museum of Natural History, New York. 
EDMUND HELLER, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C, 
WILFRED H. OSGOOD, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, 111. 
JOHN M. PHILLIPS, Pennsylvania Game Commission, Pittsburgh, Pa. 
CHARLES SHELDON, Washington, D, C. 
GEORGE SHIRAS, 3rd, Washington, D. C. 
WILLIAM BRUETTE, Editor 
JOHN P, HOLMAN, Associate Editor 
TOM WOOD, Manager 
Nine East Fortieth Street, New York City 
THE OBJECT OF THIS JOURNAL WILL BE TO 
studiously promote a healthful interest in outdoor rec- 
reation , and a refined taste for natural objects. 
August 14, 1873. 
THE COMING OF AUTUMN 
'THE tide of the seasons is at its flood and in a few 
1 weeks it will be ebbing, barely perceptible at first, 
growing stronger as the days pass, until, in winter, 
all nature will reach its lowest ebb. Meanwhile we 
are in the midst of a season of plenty, and the boun- 
tiful harvest provided by nature with man’s assist- 
ance is being garnered and stored against the needs 
of the cold season, even as the squirrels hoard their 
stores of nuts and fruits. It is a time when it is 
good to live. 
It is meet, then, that presently the workers may 
lay aside their cares and go forth into the woods and 
fields of the sportsman’s world, on the borderland of 
which they are now hovering, with eager hopes cen- 
tered on the immediate future. September is here, 
with its glorious days, its cool nights, the foliage 
showing the effects of the heated term and taking on 
those faint tints which, as the days pass, will deepen 
into the medley of colors the gunner loves best. The 
harvest is over, the fields are clear of grain, and 
the work of the dogs can be watched with fond eyes. 
Along the shore the surf breaks with a lisp and mur- 
mur that, increasing day by day, tells the watcher 
in the blinds of more exciting sport to come. In the 
woods the squirrel and the grouse, sleek and plump, 
are scurrying about intent on their small affairs, and 
the dew lies heavy at early morning when the pur- 
ple haze and the balmy breezes call incessantly to 
all outdoor people and will not be denied. 
On salt water and on the larger bodies of fresh 
water the angler is gathering the best that the year 
has to offer, and here the angler’s and the shooter’s 
seasons overlap, so that one may choose between the 
two or take his measure of both, at his option. 
WILLIAM DUTCHER 
J70R present day knowledge, appreciation and con- 
servation of wild life in America, we have per- 
haps to thank William Dutcher more than any other. 
He was intimately connected with the American 
Ornithologists Union from its beginning, and its 
treasurer for years. The latter part of his active 
life was devoted to building up the National Associa- 
tion of Audubon Societies. Working through this 
organization his influence was the most potent single 
factor in this country towards proper protection of 
wild birds and animals. A break in health put a 
sudden stop to his labors, and for several years the 
work of the Audubon Societies has gone forward 
under his lieutenants. Able and devoted as these 
have been, however, it is doubtful if any single in- 
dividual has recently contributed so much to the 
success of the Audubon movement as has the general 
knowledge that Mr. Dutcher, up to the time of his 
death in the beginning of July, was still President 
of the National Association and keenly interested in 
its activities, though no longer able to direct them. 
As an ornithologist Dutcher’s name is closely as- 
sociated with Long Island. For years he made the 
coast birds the subject of especial investigation — 
the gulls and diving birds of the long surf-bound 
ocean stretches, snipe, plover, herons and rail of the 
miles of sheltering salt marsh, and wild-fowl which 
still gather on the Island’s bays in large numbers. 
He enlisted the interest of sportsmen, lighthouse- 
keepers, and other ornithologists who aided him in 
acquiring an unrivalled series of observations upon 
both land and water birds, which have been of great 
service to all his successors. 
We regret that those days lie back beyond our 
personal memory, which serves only to recall his de- 
sire to pass on to others the light which he had won. 
A letter received twenty years ago lies before us, 
wherein observations made on certain Long Island 
birds are explained from Dutcher’s fuller knowledge. 
The thrill of first reading comes back vividly. We 
have kept it as marking a turning point in our mas- 
tery of a previously difficult subject. 
William Dutcher’s life combined great ability as 
a naturalist and unsparing toil for any cause he be- 
lieved in, with a genius for achieving cooperation. 
DANGER TO THE NATIONAL PARKS 
THE passage in its present form of the Federal 
1 Water Power Bill threatens the national park 
system of the United States, and is a further warn- 
ing to the public that unless it wakes up to existing 
conditions it will presently find itself deprived of 
its rights in the national parks. 
The Federal Power Bill gives power to a Commis- 
sion to grant licenses for taking water and water 
power from any public lands of the United States, 
and for the erection anywhere of the plants required 
for irrigation and power works. The Bill specifies 
that national parks and national monuments are 
public lands, so that if the Water Power Commission 
grants the licenses, power plants may be built all 
over the national parks and, as was said some months 
ago by one who was writing about the Smith Bill, 
this “will tend to use the Yellowstone Park (and all 
other parks) as a sort of factory where are to be 
manufactured various things which may be sold for 
money.” 
The men who wish to make money out of these 
public reservations are distinctly on the job. They 
do not sit around waiting for someone else to push 
their bills and to protect their interests; they feel 
quite sure that no one is likely to do this so well as 
themselves — who hope to profit by the situation. 
It will be interesting to see whether the people of 
the United States care so little for their national 
parks as not to be willing to take the trouble to pro- 
