The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-11-01

school secretary, read her report, which detailed the advance Knowledge of birds is making in the public schools of the state. She said If we can pre- vent the shooting of birds and robbing nests it will be Of some use," with which sentiment the audience agreed. One letter from school teacher said the brighter and more intelligent scholars did not care for orhithology, but that it appealed to the dull and lazy. They seemed to think it a kind of play in contrast with more serious studies. Even the president of the so- ciety smiled at this neat admission. Miss Mary B. Kippen read the report of the treasurer which showed a good balance of funds in the bank. Mrs. Brush, of Danbury, read her report as corresponding secretary. Mrs. Johnson, of Hartford, read an account of the distribution of charts and pie lures and said that at one school the children immediately recognized the picture of banana and a cat This was encouraging, considering that many of the children in Waterbury are born of non-English speaking parents.
 After the reading of the reports the audience listened to rather discursive talk about '"The Other End of the Journey" referring to the migration of birds, by pr. Palmer. of the great and useful Biological Survey. which has been running in the Department of Agriculture at Washington for
 
 good paying position in this survey for a score of years, or more. He ori- ginally came from California and was said to be appointed owing to his knowledge of the physiography of that state. He goes up and down the land, having his expenses paid by the U. s. government. in search of interesting and supposed to be valuable facts re garding birds. And his desk is crowd ed with invitations to come and speak to all kinds of societies in all parts of the land, on the bird question. He had several of these when the invita- tion came from the Connecticut State Audubon Society. He accepted this in vitation because his grandfather, his great grandfather and several other forbears, were born in Connecticut He had two maps displayed on the wall one of North America and the other of South America. The map of South America hung considerably to the right of the other, because, as he ex- plained. South America is much fur ther east, as meridians go. He thought educational work in the matter of bird preservation a strong point He had been much interested in listening to the annual reports just read He spoke of the ebb and flow of bird life across the United States and thought there must be cooperation among the states and outlaying nations if much is to be accomplished in the matter of pre- serving birds. He said the poor and the English sparrow are always with us. As regards the sparrow-passer domestious-to be ornithologically cor rect, it is no fault of the Biological survey tha t it abides in the land, for books have been printed at the ex- pense of the government telling how to get rid of it.
 pr. Palmer gave what he called some salient points in the matter of migra- tion. He told the old and familiar story of the bob-o-link, which, when it gets into Virginia, becomes reed bird, in the Carolinas it is the rice bird, and in Texas it is the butter bird. He thinks the bob-o-link eats about two million dollars worth of rice while on its way down the Atlantic coast towards Texas. It finally brings up in Brazil. The bird is very saga fall just as the rice is ripe, and comes back in the spring just as the farmer is planting his crop. Thus the farmer gets mucit going and coming. If the habits of the bird could be changed it would be a great saving of rice Dr. Palmer told about the immense flocks of ducks he had seen on the Great South Bay, off Patchogue, l.. T., of the long flights some birds take across the water from Labrador of the West In dia Islands, and of bird things he had seen in the western states He said the southern states have very good bird protective laws, and that where once in New Orleans all kinds of birds could be found in the market, now only game birds are to be seen- The wisdom of birds is past finding out, and it is up to the great Biological Survey to circumvent it. After Dr. PaImer's talk a delicious luncheon was served. young ladies Of the town walt ing on the guests.