Show rnJJJLCTIIJ ITCIDrn CID jy MHMD R jb IT TIililIT 1J rrullID 3TAfl IM 0 I ODAY tho songbirds of tho United States have thrown about them tho strong arm of protection For a quarter of a century there was hard and systematic work to save creatures who were helpless to save themselves and against whom I I someone has put It tho hand of man and tho bead of woman constantly were raised It perhaps per-haps Is hardly necessary to say that the allusion to the head of woman had to do with the fashion for f-or wearing tho plumage of native wild birds for decorations for hats and bonnets It was a hard fight to get tho musses of tho people Interested In tho bird protection movement move-ment Today very little Is known In a general way of the manner In which success was wrought 7 out It Is not at all uncomman even now to + bear the bird protectors spoken of as mere sentimentalists A sen-timentalists and there are men who havo had apart a-part In the fight to save the wild life who have been sneered at as effeminate Tho truth Is that most of the men who engaged In tho work of preserving 1 pre-serving tho feathered species were hardheaded and could prove on occasion that they were hard fisted fistedH It takes only a casual glanco at a womans hat today to show that the fashion of wearing feathers + feath-ers Is still If not supreme at least a ruler to a considerable degree It should bo known however how-ever that not once In a hundred times do you see on a womans head today the plumage of a natlvo American bird Tho traffic In tho feathers of bluebirds robins catbirds and other dooryard pets has been almost entirely stopped Even those who wish that tho plumagewearing habit should cease altogether are powerless to prevent the sale of tho feathers of certain species of foreign for-eign birds Tho aigrette of which woman Is BO fond Is a part of tho plumage of tho snowy heron a bird which lives not only In the United States but In certain foreign countries If a bird Is to be found In America and also abroad the sale of Its plumage Is generally forbidden in tho United States but there Is and always has been some difficulty In proving from whence camo tho supply sup-ply Law generally speaking has Its technicality < loopholes and the bird protective law is I not exempt Out of the bird protective movement grew the biological survey of tho department of agrl fir 47v i > p z4 ± v Th 1r I ° I ray < r 1 i t I h vw isl 1 S i K l ° I r N d > 4 S nn1p 1 y pN lPIA t z 1 = 1 > a + + MYDD 1 F OUTCN R PR eSYDG NT A3SOCATOM O AJDIJ30M Jh4 ro r t I I j 1 r 1 I 1 f b K f t + Y4 3 a i t krw sf b e aye 0t l4 N jtl 4 t l tit t J f t I idaxa > < i y Ji bJ w lft < r v j v d sr g ° tx ffl r f r < fp t ats > t 1ra ib MkaiF t I Jtt fti 11 111 r 0 f < txV r = n 1Y 1tf t t < H tt h t 1 < i i tiJ l Iffy ws IU J r 1t i IiI < > t JA1t I < r J tY 1 jC J a V x iii l y rs w + J 0 hkgbrnM a q i r tl sb 11 tic yyy > a r < Rs i < < lP a d a r r a M > t = J if F r < a f I 1 FYr > N J oJ Pji f > IwI f > ZG1 + T r d < tt 4 1 I < r WAVE Of GUY VII t BRAOJpr j BfADl Y A 580CIliTIo I WARDEN 11 rLORIJA j Dul y PfRFORI1AIif or i A ry N4 ii ° t rJ Y i qr de i 1 s M rl A fjYTIJCHY w Racr culture of the United States government The biological survey has been of great service to the farmers of the United States and to all men engaged either directly or indirectly In any form of agricultural pursuits When the survey was threatened with extinction a few of con years ago by tho apparent Intention gress to refuse It an appropriation tho farmers farm-ers of the United States with tho bird pro lectors and the real sportsmen rose In Its defense de-fense and saved it Tho survey probably will bo spared to continue Its useful work as long as the agricultural department has existence Tho history of bird protection In tho United States naturally and of right is connected with the history of two organizations tho various state Audubon societies for tho protection of wild birds and tho American Ornithologists union Recently William Dutcher of Now York who Is tho president of tho National Association As-sociation of Audubon societies and a follow of the American Ornithologists union told tho ornithologists of the world assembled In convention con-vention In a European city tho story of the bird protection movement In North America Mr Dutchor and all the other officers of the National Association of Audubon societies aro men who have devoted their lives to the study of birds and to their protection A celebrated French scientist said not long ago that If the bird life were to bo swept out of existence man could survive only R few months Because of tho ravages of tho Insects now held In check by the birds the vegetation creatures would bo destroyed by the Insect enemies So It would seem that if this French scientist Is right that in making their fight for the birds the defenders have been making their fight for man a fact which Is not appreciated ap-preciated by some of those who would suffer were It not for the constant saving efforts of men whom on occasion they havo seen fit to call cranks To lend up to tho establishment of the Audubon Au-dubon societies of which nearly every state In the Union has one It might be said that It was not until the year 1883 that the public In the United States awakened to the fact that too many wild birds were being slaughtered largely for millinery ornaments and other decorative dec-orative purposes In addition thousands of song nnd Insectivorous birds were killed annually annu-ally for food In his story of the movement for bird protection President Dutcher told of tho beginnings of the crusade to save the lives of tho songsters which year by year were coming back to the farm and tho garden In greatly decreased numbers Mr Dutcher said speaking of the condition In 1883 The newspapers published items almost dally on the subject and many strong editorials edito-rials were written A quotation from ono of these entitled The Sacrifices oC Song Birds will show tho earnestness of the press In respect re-spect to tho situation The destruction of American wild birds for millinery purposes has assumed stupendous proportions The unholy un-holy work gives employment to a vast army of men anil women and this army wages Its campaign of destruction with a diabolical perfection per-fection of system Tho editorial In question further refers to details of tho work published in other columns col-umns of the paper which furnishes evidence of tho ghastly character of the business Tho logical result of this newspaper agitation was that the American Ornithologists union at Its annual meeting hold In Now York city September Sep-tember 30 1884 appointed a committee of Its members to Investigate tho extent of tho alleged al-leged wild bird destruction tad to devise means to stop the slaughter by legal or any other legitimate method This committee found that the claims of the press and of Individuals were not In tho least exaggerated but on tlw other hand did not fully represent the terrible Inroads that were being made on the son game birds After a lapso of a quarter quar-ter of a century It Is hard for the people of the present day to realize real-ize the enormous number num-ber of birds that were slaughtered for the millinery mil-linery trade alone The greatest sufferers suf-ferers were the white plumage sea and swamp birds such as terns gulls and heron but incredible numbers num-bers of land blrJs also were sacrificed some CO or 70 species being Included In the lists In one millinery estab ment alono 150 skins of tho Baltimore orioles ori-oles were found From tho work started by this committee commit-tee In 1884 the present wellorganized and financially endowed cor poration known as me for National Association of Audubon Societies Animals has the Protection of Wild Birds and resulted although In the Interim there were many periods when the outlook for bird protection pro-tection in North America seemed doomed to failure It was the result of an appeal made to congress by the council of the Ornithologists union that led congress to vote an appropriation appropria-tion of 5000 tho money to be administered under tho direction of the department of agriculture ag-riculture for the purpose of taking means to save tho lives of the native American birds which were useful to man As WUHam Dutcher says further In his story of tho protective movement In recognition of tho action taken by the American Ornithologists union In securing tho appropriation tho secretary of agriculture Invited In-vited tho council of the union to select a superintendent su-perintendent to carry on the worlt and at a subsequent meeting held In Washington Dr Clinton Hart Merriam was selected as tho superintendent su-perintendent and Dr Albert K Fisher as his assistant Both of these noted ornithologists were among the founders of tho American Ornithologists Or-nithologists union It was from tills humble beginning that the present biological survey a division of the United States department of agriculture has grown It Is perfectly apparent from the letters let-ters which agriculturists send to Washington constantly that tho work of the biological survey sur-vey has Its value appreciated moro and more every year Tho survey has published a groat mass of valuable statistics of tho food habits of birds and their relation to agriculture and forestry As has been said there are Audubon societies soci-eties for bird protection In nearly every state In the Union They are affiliated In one great society called the National Association of Audubon Au-dubon societies The writer of this article from personal knowledge can speak of the beginnings be-ginnings qf ono of tho largest and most active ac-tive of tbo state organizations Persons who were known to bo Interested In birds wero asked to meet to form a protective organization A good many persons not particularly par-ticularly Interested In bird protection aso wero Invited Several women came to that first meeting wearing tho plumage of wild birds In their hats At first the society intended In-tended to do its work by persuasive missionary mission-ary efforts and along this line to a consider ahla extent the endeavor haa baan over since but It was soon found that while some people were willing to bo guided by pleas of humanity human-ity and by stories of the destruction of tho growing things because of tho rapid Increaso In Insect life there were others who could not be reached by any except hard handed methods meth-ods So It Is that the bird protectors not only have carried on a great work In the education of children and In moral suasion among the elders but they havo taken cases Into court and have prosecuted wilful and persistent violators vi-olators of the law until today the bird protective protec-tive laws are as much feared as any other laws on tho statute books There always havo been some laws against the wanton killing of useful birds but until the men and women of the American Ornithologists union and of tho Audubon society went earnestly at their labors the laws wero laughed at and violated with Impunity Im-punity and almost always with Immunity Years ago untold thousands of useful native na-tive birds were trapped to bo sold as pets In cages Tho women of the south complained to the women of the north who wero engagt > dIn d-In bird protection work that their mockingbirds mocking-birds and red birds cardinals were being trapped In multitudes because of tho demand by the trade In northern cities for caged songsters The bird protectors of tho north took tho matter up and In nearly all places today It Is Illegal to sell caged wild native American birds About fifteen years ago thero was a week of zero weather In some of tho southern states Tho blue bird which Is a northern favorite does not go far enough south In winter to escupo all of the storms of the winter season Tho unusual cold of that winter fifteen years ago almost annihilated tho tribe of bluebirds There were only a few left to como back to the northern fields In tho spring Tho bluebird blue-bird however was protected and tho efficiency effi-ciency of the Audubon societys work was never more clearly shown than In this case The blue birds today have recruited their ranks under protection and aro as numerous as ever they were For years tho bird protectionists went ahead with their work with tho treasury at a low point It always had been hoped that some kindly disposed person would realize the strength nnd beauty of bird protection work and would glvo of this substance to the cause The man known as a scientist nor as a bird student One day however Albert Willcox saw a newspaper news-paper account of some of tho bird protection work done by tho national Association of Audubon Au-dubon societies and ho wrote a letter asking for more details Ho received the Information that ho wanted and ho wrote to say that he was about to make a now will and felt sc much pleased with the work of tho society that ho would glvo It annually during his lifetime life-time a considerable sum of money to bo used In carrying on tho work of the association and that when he died ho would give the society soci-ety a legacy of 100000 In his will and he added I may not limit It to this amount Albert Wlllcox died four years ago Ho left 100000 to tho Audubon society as ho had promised and In addition ho made tho society his residuary legatee to tho extent of onehall his estate Today the National Association 01 Audubon societies through the generosity of Mr Willcox Is placed on a sure and lasting foundation Tho bird protective work has beer going on for a quarter of a century It hat all sorts of trials and tribulations but today It seems that tho friends of the feathered kingdom have triumphed In their cause Th promise Is that there will be no cessation o tho work which means so much to tho birr and more to man |