4 
COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION 
Protection of 
the Pelican 
One of the states that early adopted this bill 
was Florida. On the Atlantic coast of that state, in 
Indian river, there is an island of about four acres, 
where two thousand brown pelicans have been coming, from 
time whereof the memory of man runneth not to the contrary, to 
lay their eggs and rear their young. About the time this law was 
enacted long quills became very popular in the millinery trade. We 
found that millinery stores in the large cities were selling feathers 
taken from the bush turkey, the albatross, the brown pelican, and 
also from the old turkey bu-zzard of the south. A gentleman in the 
Florida Legislature arose and suggested the repeal of this law. He 
said it was ridiculous, that it protected the pelican, which fed on fish. 
Evidently he was not aware that these pelicans were feeding almost 
entirely upon menhaden, which is not usually esteemed as food. 
Furthermore, he said, the quills were worth two dollars a bird in New 
York markets, which made $4,000 worth of feathers on this island, 
and we had quite a fight to keep the Legislature from being stampeded. 
Then, as men might raid a bird colony, the question arose: 
Would it be possible to get the United States Government to 
take hold of that island in some way? In Florida there are two 
Federal courts. A man who kills a bird would rather be haled 
before a local magistrate, where the jury probably would be 
composed of friends and neighbours, who had killed birds themselves. 
In such a case it was a simple matter to leave the plough for a 
day and stand trial. But in a Federal court it is a different 
matter. A man may have to travel half way across the state to 
attend the court, he must appear before men who are strangers 
to him; and so it comes about that in the southern country men do 
not care to be haled into a Federal court. 
First Bird There did not seem to be any way whereby this fed- 
Sanctuary eral control could be secured until the matter was 
Established finally taken up with the President. The President 
said in substance, “Is there any precedent for this sort of thing, or 
any law? What is the island good for, can you raise anything on it?” 
He was told, “No, one cannot raise corn, peanuts, razor-backed hogs, 
or, in fact, anything, on this island but pelicans, and there appears 
to be no specific law or precedent for the Government to create it as 
a bird reservation.” Then he said, “If the land office will recommend 
that this land is not good for agricultural purposes we will make it a 
bird-reserve under the care of the Department of Agriculture, pro- 
vided the Audubon Society will agree to hire a man to act as 
guardian on the island.” 
That suited us exactly. The chief clerk in the U.S. Land Office, 
Mr. Bond, is an Audubonian of long standing. In a very short time 
