I IO Bird- Lore The Present Need of the Association More members are n,eeded at once in order to recuperate the treasury of the Society, which is now at a low ebb, owing to inces- sant drafts upon it for legitimate expenses. The Finance Committee cannot, with the utmost business perspicacity, make one dol- lar do the work of two dollars. Our members and contributors are generous and loyal, and they are not expected to do more financially than they have already done this year (1906 ) . There is, however, something each one can do to help in this emergency; it is for each person to get a new member for the Asso- ciation before the mid-year. We have gained thirteen life members since the last report, but their fees cannot be used, but must be invested, which has been done. One thou- sand new sustaining members will place our organization on such a sound basis that it can not only carry on its present work, but can expand, especially in its educational efforts among children. — W. D. Legislative Season Although 1906 is one of the off years when only a few States have legislative sessions, yet in some of these the National Association has had to do strenuous work in order to help the State Society defeat bad bills. There has never been a legislative season that more emphatically has shown the absolute necessity for Audubon Societies and their work. If it had not been for the determined opposition and persistent efforts of these Societies, several exceptionally bad bills would have now been laws. There is not the slightest doubt that if the Audubon Societies were to disband, in a very few years all of the present excellent bird laws would be so amended that protection would cease. It is true that game-birds would not suffer to the extent that the non-game-birds would, because real sportsmen would naturally urge good legislation for them. However, sportsmen are not organized so well as the State Audubon Societies and the National Association. It is also a fact that these Societies exert almost as much influence for game-birds as they do for the other species. New Jersey. — Was a hotbed of vicious bills. Three were introduced, as follows: To make the Mourning Dove a game-bird, with an open season from August 15 to October 1. The only reason given by the enlightened Assemblyman who introduced the bill was because many of his constituents were glassblowers, and this date was their vacation period and they wished something to shoot. This gentle and beneficial bird was to be sacrificed to make a politician solid with his constituents. Why a bill was introduced to remove all protection from the Kingfisher was never discovered. Both of these vicious measures were finally defeated. The Flicker narrowly escaped being made a game-bird. The bill was introduced in the Assembly very late in the session, — too late, in fact, to start a systematic opposition. This was probably the intent of the intro- ducer. Next to the last day of the session the bill was passed in the Assembly, but thanks to some earnest and vigilant friends of the birds in the Senate, it was defeated there. There were also some good friends of the birds in the Assembly, but unfortu- nately some of the members of the Assembly Game Committee were not only prejudiced but ignorant. One of them told your Presi- sident that the Reedbird came from the South, and expressed strong disbelief when he was told that the bird was the Bobolink in its fall plumage. This Committeeman certainly was not a fit person to legislate for birds, or, in fact, on any other subject. Ohio. — In this State an Assemblyman introduced a bill "To better protect Quail, birds and domestic fowls by the payment of a fee for the heads of Hawks." Section 1 reads as follows: "Any one killing a bird known as a Hawk, shall, on the presenta- tion of such dead bird to the clerk of the township where he or they may reside, be entitled to a certificate to the amount of fifty cents for each Hawk so produced." Like all other bills of this character, it was introduced because of prejudice and a cor- responding ignorance of the economic value of most of the raptores. The model law is now in force in Ohio and the only species of Hawks that are not beneficial are in the excepted list. This bad bill was defeated largely through the efforts
