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 126 THE CONDOR Vol. XV Northern Division of that organization, on January 20, 1912, requested its presi- dent to appoint a permanent cbmmittee on.Conservation of Wild Life, and sug- gested a similar course of action to the Southern Division. The two comnittees were appointed forthwith, and' went to work immediately. For the purpose of this Synopsis. it is well to note that steps were taken to interest other Californian organizations in the wild life. situation. Ot the initiative of the Northern DiVision committee just referred to, a meeting of rep- resentatives of societies interested was called on November 7, I912, in the rooms of the Sierra Club, in San Francisco. Eight constituencies were represenrerl, and after a consideration of ways and means, a conitution was drafted and a temporary organization effected. This was the inception of the California Asso- ciated Societies for the Conservation of Wild Life. At a later meeting the or- ganization was perfected and headquarters established at the California Museum of Vertebrate Zoology/ Altogether about ten thousand persons are by this means bound together in a federation tO educate the body politic and stimulate legisla- tion in behalf of this great natural asset. The organization showed activity from the beginning. An Advisory Committee, made up of nearly a hundred influential persons from all sections of the state, was appointed, as were also committees on Legislation and Revision of Game Laws. A campaign fund of fifteen hundred dollars was raised, a series of recommenda- tions as to desirable changes in the laws concerning wild life was submitted to the Fish and Game Commission, several bills were drawn up for introduction in the legislature, and preparations were made to take active part in the work of law-making. Since a law prohibiting the sale of wild game was regarded as the most important and far-reaching of all measures practicable at this time, several news-letters concerning the proposed law (the Flint-Cary bill) were published and despatched to the newspapers of the state early in the campaign. Three Western Wild Life Calls, the first issue of sixteen pages, the second and third of eight pages each, were published. These were sent to the mem- bers of the legislature, to libraries throughout the state, to many clubs and societies, to influential individual citizens, and to the ewspapers. Of the first issue there were mailed nearly seventeen thousand copies. Hundreds of personal letters were sent out by She President and Secretary. Through the co-operation of the Museum of Vetebrate Zoology of the University of California and the California Associated Societies the Secretary was enabled to lobby continu- ally in behalf of wild life conservation for the two months of the second half of the bifurcated session .of the legislature. On strategic occasions other members of the Executive Cormnittee and of the organization visited Sacramento. Although the response to the appeals of the Associated Societies vas wide- spread and gratifying, it must not be thought that no opposition was encountered. The Hotelmen's Association of California lobbied persistently against the non- sale bill. In some sections of the state the people proved to be unacquainted with the facts and necessities of the situation and very often to be violently pre- judiced against adequate conservatory measures. Several newspapers, particu- larly the San Francisco Exmnine', continually and openly fought the conserva- tionists, charging bad faith and collusion with the gun club sportsmen. However, the gain as regards wild life conservation at this session of the legislature has been fremendous. Bills embodying the following improvements were passed by both houses of the Legislature, and at the present writing await only the Governor's signature, which it is practically certain will not be withheld: