Evening star., 1923-04-01
Audubon Society Has Made the District Bird Sanctuary

vember 27, 1897, on Woman as a
Bird Enemy" She is an enemy whom
the Audubon societies have had to
fight ever since. although most Of the
| Audubon members are women.
How the ancient barbaric taste for
| plumage in the gala dress of women
| persists is illustrated by the wearing
| of bird of paradise bonnets. And yet,
legally to wear such an ornament
! (token Of the ruthless massacre of a
whole species) a person must be pre-
! pared to prove that the Identical
| feathers in question were imported
! into this country before 1913; and
| 1t is known that, despite the most de-
| termined efforts, there is consider
able smuggling of the plumes of the
| bird of paradise, as well as other
| exotic feathers.
1t was woman's thoughtless love of
aigrettes and the remorseless greed
it inspired that all but exterminated
| the beautiful egrets before the Audu-
bon societies came to their rescue and
are now defending the remnant OF
10000 birds which were once num-
bered by millions. The same story of
the tragedy of vanity and the sord!d
commerce 1t creates applies to many
American birds.
The organization meeting Of the
Audubon Society OF the District of
Columbia was held May IS, 1897, at
the residence Of Mrs. John Wewhurst
Patten, its founder; and in the first
report of the society's activities Mrs.
Patten wrote.
I'VE are fully convinced that the
! greatest and most successful field for
work lies with the child. Ignorance,
and consequent indifference and not
| innate cruelty have probably led to
the continued destruction of wild
birds. 1t is the desire of the society
and one of it's main objects-to aid
the teachers and to furnish them in
| formation to the end that they may
teach their pupils to know and love
the birds as we'll as the flowers and
all things beautiful and wonderful in
creation"
| Accordingly, the society has main
tanned bird classes ever since. Among
their founders were Miss Edith West
colt of the western High School and
Miss Elizabeth Brown, then of the
normal school, and with their assist
ance a school committee was appoint
ed to supply material and instruction
for the teachers who were then add
ing bird work to their nature-study
courses
| An Audubon alcove was established
in ths public library and a normal
school bird class was organized for
a study of specimens. Miss Brown
assembled the first class in February
1898. 1t had twelve members, made
up of normal school teachers and
teachers Of nature study in the grade
schools. This class was conducted
for the first three years by DR.. Theo-
dcre s. Palmer, who with Mrs. Flor
ence Bailey (nationally known author
of several bird books), has been the
mainstay of the society since its in
Iception. In 1901, Miss Brown sue
ceeded Dr. Palmer in the bird class
| work, and in the next year there
were FIVE classes with fifty or sixty
members In 1903, the foundations of
bird life instruction in the schools
having been firmly laid the bird class
was opened to the general public.
| X X X X
TOR the work of the public class
| l. the society has a good represent
ative study collection of the un-
mounted skins of about 500 birds Of
the District, derived chiefly from the
collection of the late Prof. w. w.
Cooke. The class meets at the
Thomson School, and notices of each
springs meetings are distributed to
members of the Audubon Society, to
public. and private school teachers.
to such organizations as the Camp