The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-05-05

Save the birds!'' is now the slogan 1 Of Influential organiza ations all over ] the civilized world, and their observ- ance of Bird Day. the fourth of May, l is annually becoming more general. It was in England, f1fty-five years ago, that the movement for the pre- servation and protection of our little broiLers of the air'' first took orga- nized form in the Ornitho1ogists' Un- ion. Ever since then the bird-Iovers of England have been fighting the feather trade, but thus far in vain, and it remained for Australia to enact Q few months ago a law absolutely pro- hibtting the impor tation of all feath- CTS and p1unles Of wild, birds, other than ostriches, intended for sale or
 for use as millinery. In the United States the Audubon Society and sinni- lar organiza tfons recently succeeded
 in securing the incorporation in the
 new tariff act of similar proposal England, Germany, France and other
 countries will probably take similar action at a very early date, and it is likely that 1913, like 1912 will be 8
 banner year for the birds. President
 Wilson recently prohibited the killing Of birds of plu1nage in the Panama Canal zone, and thus gained the thanks
 of the Audubon Society. The Weeks
 Mclean bill, giving federal protection
 to the migratory birds of the United
 States, has juso become a law, thanks
 to the propa ganda of the American
 Game Protective and Propagation As
 sociation, an organization of sports
 men all over the United States and
 Canada The United States Depart
 ment of Agriculture is now framing
 mes sures for making tho act fully eff
 fecttve. Sen. Mclean of Connecticut,
 who was one of the packers of the
 measure, declares that the law has a
 commercial as well as 8 sentimental
 aGnnnf Yld fho+ r1-iJJ 411a fo1,
 CTS, fr1ft growers and timber interests millions of dollars 8 year now lost
 by the ruinous activities of bugs, bee ties, insects and other pests and plaques against which birds are the surest protection.
 John James Audubon, the eminent ornithologist whose birthday is now celebrated as Bird Day, was born in New Orleans, May 4, 1780. He was the son of a French admiral, and spent 1 most of his mature life in the study l Of birds, exploring the forests, wilder nesses and mountains of North Amer ica from Labrador and Canada to l Florida The knowledge gained of the | adhered inhabitants of these remote 1 sections he embodied in his monumen- tai work, The Birds of America, ,' | which he both, wrote and illustrated. |
 Although born in Louisiana, then a | French colony, and educated partly in | Pennsylvania and partly in Paris, Au- dubOn was a citizen of the world, and | all the bird-lovers of the globe now do him reverence. He spent many years in London, Edinburgh and Paris, where he was greeted with every mark of honor by Humboldt, Cuvier, and 1 other great naturaIists. His latter years were spent largely in New York, where he died in 1851.
 The Audubon Society, which now has braf1ches all over North America, is the principal bird-protection organi- zatfon of the continent, but there are 8 number of others that are carrying on a, useful work. One of these is the American Bird-Banding Association, which has as its principal object thei study of migratory birds. Aluminium bands are supplied to place around the legs of captured birds, and this has resulted in the discovery of many facts about the travels of the feathered tourists. The importa- ton of English birds has recently re- eeived much attention from societies and bird-Ioving individuals. Five hum dred feathered emigrants recently left England for Vancouver, B. C., and some 400 English birds were recently received by a Detroit manufacturer. It is expected that these birds will ra- pfd1y increase in numbers, and eventu- ally spread over British Columbia and Michigan.