Page:Bird-lore Vol 04.djvu/161

 140

clutle as members hotlt teachers and pupils, and are strong factors in spreading an During the year just concluded. the membership thereof has increased troin 13.441 to H.353,

2. Publishing in conjunction with the Illinois Audubon Sot‘ietv, as the organ of both, a stnall monthly eight-page magazine. ‘By the VVaysid ' This is intended to interest botlt adults and children: the sult- Besides

interest in the Society‘s work.

scription price is 25 cents a year. the ‘Cltildren's Department’vtvhiclt is mainly tilled with letters written by chil- dren about birds, for me best of which a prize or honor hadec is awarded each multthi' By the waysirle' has during the past year contained notes on bird-migration, book and scientiﬁc information along other lines of natural science. A similar editorial policy will her-cairer be maintained.

3. The publication oi Bulletin No. r, ‘Some Bird Problems for the Farmer.‘ written by Dr. 0 Gt Libby, of the Uni- versity of Wiscon tn.

4. The acquisition oi nearly two hundred

reviews.

lantern—slides, seventy of which are colored. These are rented lot a small stint to any school branch or local society desiring to use them, at the tollowing places: Milwaukee, \Vhitc- water, Hillside. Metliortl, Hartford, Lake Forest. Kennsha. and Prescott.

5. Securing the passage by the state legislature of tqor. or a more efﬁcient law (Chap. 196) for the protectionot wild birds in Wisconsin.

6, The formation of classes at Madison, under competent guidance, for ﬁeld-work in birdrstudy. During the spring of 1901. nearly two hundred tlilierettt persons were present at these meetings, spring a series of four lectures along this line, illustrated by museum specimens. was givcn at the State University,

7. The circulation throughout tlte state, of the Gordon Librarv of ten bird books, the nucleus for which was presented to the Society in 1399, by Mrs. George Gordon ot Milwaukee. During the past year there have been so many calls for these books that

They hare rhus tar heen used

During the same

lantern - slides and

Bird -Lore

the Society hopes to be able in the near future to purchase two similar collectionst Through the courtesy of the State Super~ itttendettt of Public Instruction, the ‘Arhor and Bird Day Annual' for 1902. issued by his department, will again carry from the Audubon Society a message of invitation to eaclt pu‘tlic school lit the state to coiiperatc in this movement and to form a school branch. The success of these branches is almost entirely (lit: to the intelligent assist~ anct of the teachers. without which it would be impossible tot-arryon any organized work among the children of the commonwealth. It is hoped that the Coming year will bring- to us many new members, as well as increased ﬁnancial support. Contributions of money to be spent for the general work of the Society, or in some special manner iutlit'atetl by the giver. are also much needed jcsstc T. Tt-twstt-res, Sec.

Bird - Protection Abroad

It is pleasing to note that the government authorities abroad are paying much atten- tion to tlte protection of birds. According to a recent cable dispatch the Minister of Agriculture of Belgium has instructed that berry-bearing trees in the government for- ests shall remain untrintmed until the and ot winter in order to allow the birds plenty of food. Hitherto they have been trimmed in October. it is not generally known how mttclt birds contribute to the sanitary con- dition of the world; in fact, it has often been said that man could not live upon the earth were it not for the birds, Besides being a perennial delight to loversof nature, the existence of hirtl-life is 'a necessity for the health of the people. During the past season. on some of our outings, we have noted more birds than for many previous years. American people better understand at the present time the need of the preserva» tion of birds; but there is much still to be learned Every sportsman should assume his share of the work in protecting our birdstislwaling and Fir/ring.

No’rE.7/\ report from tlte Florida Audu- bon Society is of ncccssity postponed until' our next issue.