, 1902-05-29
A FINE APPEAL.
Wyoming Audubon Society Addresses a
Letter to All State Papers.
To the Editor of the Sun.

To the Editor of the Sun.
Al the annual meeting of the
Wyoming Audubou society held
at Cheyenne, May l.. 1902. the
president was requested to adj
dress a letter to the editors of the
newspapers published within the
state briefly stating the objects of
the organization and soliciting co.
operation in the work of bird pro-
lection.
The society was organized for
the purpose Of creating public
sentiment in favor of bird protec-
ton, to assist in promoting pro-
tective legislation and to cncour-
age observance of the laws already
passed. There are now three or
ganized Audubon societies in the
state, one each at Cheyenne. Cam
bria and Clearmount. and others
r promised at an early date.
The increase of interest in the OBJ
jects of the society is indicated by
the rapid growth the close of
our first year showing n member
ship of 1,400.
The startling exposition of the
progress made in systematic
bird destruction a reported by
w. I. Hornaday of the American
Museum of Natural History. New
York, a few years ago, aroused not
enly bird students but also the ag-
ricultural interests of the country
which were threatened with great
disaster through the destruction
of insectivorous bird life. In
many states the loss in bird popu-
lation during fifteen years averag-
ed 80 per cent, several states go
ing higher than this. Florida
among them losing about II per
cent.
No person with ordinary intelli-
gence who had a knowledge of the
facts could view this extraordin-
airy condition without being APP
palled at the outlook. From the
publication of Mr.. Hornaday's re-
port to the present time protective
sentiment increased rapidly and
was soon crystallized into active
organization which was named
for the greatest of the early Amer
lean ornithologists. John James
Audubon. Today nearly every
state in the union has Audubon
societies actively engaged in tench-
ing bird protection principles and
in helping TO make and enforce
protective laws.
In Wyoming the Legislature of
1901 passed what is called the
model bird law the bill for
which was prepared in the main,
by the American Ornitholiogists'
union, and which embodies in
brief form the requirements of adj
vanccd thought i'll this direction.
Soon after the passage of this law
the Wyoming Audubon society
was organized and today earnestly
solicits the active cooperation of
all good citizens in enforcing the
bird law and in spreading the doc
trine for bird protection for moral.
esthetic and economic reasons.
The practice of wearing parts of
songs and miscellaneous birds as
alleged ornaments should also she
discouraged. 1t should be remem
bered that all birds wear their
gayest dress through the spring
time when nests are built. eggs
laid and nestlings reared and that
it is at this time that the
great majority are slaughtered for
the millinery trade. The death or
capture of the parent birds, there
fore, means death by starvation
and exposure to the young,
Unmistakable indications in the
millinery trade point strongly to
nm effort at reviving. the horrible
and barbarous fashion of wearing
birds upon ladies' hats. The
cause of such a revival is simple
and easily explained. There is
money in the business but those
Who catar 10 fashion in hate ne ax-