Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-11-20
PROTECTION OF BIRDS
REPORT ON SUBJECT MADE TO
oRNITHoLoGIsTs.
The Work Of the Audubon Societies
The Laws Enacted in
States

The report of William butcher of New
York. chairman of the committee on the
protection of North American BIRDS was
| the most interesting feature of this fore
| Moons session of the congress of the Amer
lean Ornithologists' Union.
Mr.. butcher, who Is a recognized author
| fty on all questions pertaining to birds. did
not read his report in full, owing to the
| lateness of the members of the congress
| getting to their seats. The committee was
| established in 1886. He said that where
working ornithologists are most numerous
| the Audubon societies are most active and
! effective.
| There are now thirty-four Audubon So
cieties in existence in different parts of the
| United States. A national committee of
| Audubon societies was established last
year, and meeting was held in Cambridge,
Mass, in November, 1901. This is the COM
mittee that has been in session in Wash
ington this week.
| Mr.. butcher said 1t was not necessary for
the youthful learner in economic ornitho-
| ogy TO collect and examine bird stomachs,
for the work has already been well done by
the biological survey of the Agricultural
Department, whose frequent pamphlets
supply all the information that is neces-
sary. The Audubon societies, he declared
should deal directly with the nearly 49,
100000 school children of the United States.
Women's clubs can be made powerful auxil-
iaries.
Should Watch the Markets.
The Importance of keeping a close watch
on the markets was emphasized. The
speaker said that nearly $4,000 snow
buntlings were recently found in cold stor-
age in New York city. Forty thousand
game birds, mostly sand pipers, were re-
Gently killed along the coast of North Caro-
line for millinery purposes, their bodies
being thrown away.
He showed that the model law for the
protection of birds, framed by the Ameri-
can Ornithologists Union. had been enacted
in several states during the past year and
that active efforts were under way for its
adoption in other states He urged that
Audubon societies should try to protect for
eign birds as well those of North Amer
lea, and he suggested international con-
gress for the purpose Of general bird pro-
lection.
DR.. T. S. Palmer of this city discussed
the report and called attention to the great
aid the committee on bird protection, had
received from Robinson M. Gator of Balti-
more Dr. Palmer also gave an interesting
talk on Federal Game Protection in 1902"
The rest of the program was as follows:
Some Variations in the Piping Plover'
(Aegialitis meloda) Jonathan Dwight, jr.;
Nesting of the Red-belied Woodpecker in
Hartford County, Nd" William H. Fisher;
Some Food Habits of West Indian Birds
B. S. Bowdish; The Significance of Tri-
AN Epidemic of Roup in the Canandaigua
Crow Roost," Elon Howard Eaton.
Invitations Accepted.
At the beginning of the session Dr. c.
Hart Marian, president, called attention
to the invitation of Secretary Langley of
the Smithsonian Institution to the members
of the American Ornithologsts' Union
and delegates to the conference of Audubon
societies to visit the Geological garden to-
morrow morning
The invitation of Prof. Wilmer Stone on
behalf of the Academy of Sciences of Phil
adelpha to hold the next meeting in that
city was accepted. November IS was the
date decided upon. The members of the
union discussed the question of holding
special meeting in California, but mo-
ton of DR.. J. A. Allen of New York it was
referred to the council. The chair appoin ted
a committee on admission of members, of
which Wilmer Stone is chairman.
Several new members were elected. The
chair reappointed the committee on bird
protection with the exception of Mr.. F.
Miller of New Orleans, who fills a vacancy,
and Prof. T. Gilbert Pearson of North
Carolina, who was added.