Nov. 18, 1911.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
747 
Bird Flights. 
Washington, D. C, Nov. ii.— Editor Forest 
and Stream: Some of the results of the Aber¬ 
deen University bird migration are contained 
in a report just published. The object of the 
work is to obtain specific and accurate records 
of bird flights. The method employed is to 
mark newly hatched or young chicks in the nest 
in the hope of tracing their subsequent move¬ 
ments. The longest flight recorded thus far in 
one inquiry was that of a song thrush. It was 
marked in the nest when a chick at Skene, 
Aberdeenshire, in early June, 1910. In early 
November in the same year it was shot near 
Leiria, Portugal, 1,250 miles by direct over sea 
route from its birthplace. How far it had 
traveled in six months of its life could only be 
guessed, but investigators estimate that 1,500 
miles would be well within the possibilities. 
Five lapwings were marked in their nest in the 
northeast of Scotland. Four were shot in 
Ireland, in four different counties, and the fifth 
was found in southern Portugal. A guillemot 
was marked as a newly hatched chick on the 
Aberdeenshire Cliffs, and eighteen weeks later 
was shot north of Gothenburg, Sweden. A 
widgeon duckling marked in the nest on Lock 
Brora, Scotland, was taken in a duck decoy in 
Province Gronigen, Northeastern Holland, three 
months later. Raleigh Raines. 
National Association of Audubon Societies 
The seventh annual meeting of the National 
Association of Audubon Societies for the Pro¬ 
tection of Wild Birds and Animals was held in 
New York city on Oct. 31. A representative 
gathering of members from many widely scat¬ 
tered sections of the United States were present. 
T. Gilbert Pearson, secretary, read the board 
of directors’ report on the work done during 
the past year. This showed that the association 
had been engaged in legislative activities in 
nearly one-half the States in the Union. A num¬ 
ber of bills have been introduced and their pas¬ 
sage sought for the purpose of further protect¬ 
ing game birds and animals, and for conserving 
the song and insect-eating birds which are of 
such immense value to the agricultural and hor¬ 
ticultural interests of the country. 
Referring to the Bayne bill recently passed by 
the New York Legislature, and in the passage 
of which the Audubon Society took an active 
interest, the secretary stated it was “the most 
important piece of game legislation which has 
been enacted in the United States of recent 
years, for by absolutely stopping the sale of 
native wild game, there has been taken away the 
incentive for the killing of ducks, geese, plover, 
quail, turkeys and deer in wholesale manner.” 
He reported the formation of two new State 
Audubon Societies; these are located in Kentucky 
and West Virginia. 
During the year thirty-nine game wardens 
have been employed to guard important breeding 
places of ducks, geese, egrets, terns, pelicans and 
other persecuted species of bird life. 
The sentiment against wearing aigrettes is 
growing rapidly, and in many States to-day the 
fashion has died out among thoughtful people. 
More than one and one-half million pages of 
educational leaflets and pictures of birds have 
been published and distributed. 
The support of the association has steadily 
increased and the treasurer’s report showed that 
the National Association expended over $36,000 
the past year in the work of American bird and 
game protection. 
Plans for the coming year include not only 
the vigorous pushing the work along the present 
lines, but a reaching out into special fields of 
educational work in the schools and the search¬ 
ing out and guarding the few remaining colonies 
of some rapidly vanishing water birds. 
The secretary mentioned also that so far as 
known, one passenger pigeon is left in existence. 
This is a female eighteen years of age confined 
in a cage in the Zoological Park at Cincinnati. 
A fund of $1,500 collected two years ago by 
members of the association as a reward for 
finding a nest of this bird, seen forty years ago 
in such incalculable numbers, has been advertised 
extensively in all parts of the country, but no 
one has come forward with proof to claim the 
prize. A number of other useful birds are to¬ 
day threatened with a like fate and but for the 
Audubon movement some of these would al¬ 
ready have become extinct. Many interesting 
facts pertaining to wild bird and animal protec¬ 
tion may be secured by addressing the National 
Association of Audubon Societies, New York. 
At the meeting many interesting papers were 
read by attending members. 
Massachusetts Birds. 
The third annual report of the Massachusetts 
State Ornithologist has just been issued by Ed¬ 
ward Howe Forbush, and contains much that is 
interesting to bird lovers and bird protectors. 
The hunters’ license law, which went into ef¬ 
fect in 1909, and which requires all aliens who 
hunt to pay a license fee of $15, has probably 
kept at least 20,000 of the foreign song bird 
killers from hunting in Massachusetts, but some 
of these are now evading the law by using short 
guns which are easily concealed, or by means 
of traps, nets or bird lime. Great numbers of 
useful and small birds are killed by these for¬ 
eigners 'and used for food. Bird protective con¬ 
ditions have much improved since the hunters’ 
license law was passed. 
There seems especial need for bird protection 
in Massachusetts, where they feed on the eggs 
of the gypsy moth, that pest which has been so 
alarming and so costly in that State. 
Besides his work of preparing a special re¬ 
port on wildfowl, game birds and shore birds 
authorized by the Legislature of 1910, Mr. For¬ 
bush has made extended investigations into the 
question of the starling in Massachusetts. In 
its European home this bird is regarded as a de¬ 
sirable species, but in New Zealand it became a 
destructive pest, and as it is increasing in the 
United States and constantly extending its range, 
efforts are being made to learn something of its 
economic position on this continent. It appears 
that the starling drives certain birds from their 
nesting places by occupying holes and boxes 
suitable for its own breeding uses. It eats a 
little fruit, and possibly a little grain. On the 
other hand it destroys great numbers of per¬ 
nicious insects — caterpillars, beetles and their 
larvae, and grasshoppers. The seeds found in 
their stomachs are but few. Mr. Forbush’s con¬ 
clusion is that the starling is not so numerous 
in Massachusetts as to do any appreciable injury 
to fruit crops, vegetation or native birds. So 
far, it is unquestionably a beneficial species, but 
if its numbers shall greatly increase, the situa¬ 
tion may change. As yet, however, there seems 
nothing to be alleged against it. 
Food Habits Already Known. 
Minneapolis, Minn., Nov. 10 .—Editor Forest 
and Stream: I was very much interested in an 
article in your paper of Nov. 4 from California, 
signed Golden Gate, stating that the fish and 
game commission is making an investigation as 
to the economic value of certain California 
birds. Allow me to ask: Why in the name of 
common sense do not the people of California 
read the two bulletins issued by the Biological 
Survey—Birds of California in Relation to the 
Fruit Industry? The result of this investiga¬ 
tion is stated in plain words and is correct. If 
the California agriculturists and horticulturists 
do not believe the statements put forth in these 
bulletins, how can it be expected that they will 
believe the report of the game commission? It 
is absolutely unnecessary to kill any more Cali¬ 
fornia birds to ascertain their food habits. 
J. W. Franzen. 
Heron Colony on Avery Island. 
About fifteen years ago E. A. Mcllhenny 
placed three pairs of snowy herons and a like 
number of night herons on the shores of an 
artificial pond on Avery Island, Louisiana. Later 
other herons were added and there is now there 
a colony numbering many thousands of snowy 
herons and a less number of American egrets. 
This action is connected with the donation by 
Mr. Mcllhenny and Charles Ward of 13,000 acres 
of land to the Louisiana Bird, Fish and Oyster 
Commission. The territory, which borders the 
west and south side of Vermillion Bay, is to be 
forever maintained as a refuge for wild life. 
The same men have also established a private 
refuge of 6,000 acres west of the State refuge 
and will there conduct extensive experiments 
in breeding. 
A Killing of Polar Bears. 
The secretary of the Arctic Club has received 
from Arthur Houghton, who accompanied F. A. 
Stone and others on a hunting trip to Green¬ 
land last summer a letter telling something of 
their adventures. A moving picture machine was 
taken along, and the party secured some remark¬ 
able moving pictures of the hunt, which show 
the actual killing of three polar bears. They suc¬ 
ceeded in roping two very large cubs in the 
water, one of which was brought back alive. 
In six days’ hunting they secured ten polar 
bears, all of them within a radius of forty 
miles, and in approximately latitude 74.5° north, 
longitude 14.5 0 west. 
