State Reports 251 Connecticut. — "The work of the Connecticut Audubon Society the past year seems to have been chiefly in the line of making repairs. In one more year we shall have completed our first decade of existence as a society, and, naturally, our materials have become worn and have needed to be replaced with new. This year we have put new books in place of many of the well-thumbed ones in the fifty traveling libraries. We have replaced a much used lantern for the lecture ; we have mended the boxes that hold the lecture outfit, quite an expensive item, and we have increased the num- bers of the portfolios of pictures. "The secretary of the State Board of Education paid our Executive Committee a visit last spring for the purpose of inquiring if we could sug- gest some way to use the traveling libraries during the summer, when the schools are closed, as these libraries are primarily for the use of school chil- dren. On our suggestion, he decided to send the books among the private circulating libraries, as well as to the public libraries. " Mr. Hine also suggested that the secretary hire some one to accom- pany the lectures, to read them and explain the pictures. This is a work we hope to do in the near future. "The Executive Committee of the Society has held seven meetings dur- ing the year, for the transaction of the Society's business. These meetings have been well attended, and the members present often represent nine towns in our state. By your consent the appropriations of moneys are made by this Executive Committee and the work is planned by its members. "Last autumn the Society had presented to it the original steel plate of a very fine portrait of John James Audubon. Engravings from this plate are for sale for the benefit of the Society. "The Connecticut bird laws have been translated into Italian and Hungarian, printed on large posters, and these posters have been sent out and posted all over the parts of the state where these people live. Also copies of the state bird laws in English have been sent to all granges in the state. ' The Society has contributed $20, as usual, to the Thayer Fund for protecting our sea-birds. "The Executive Committee has appointed one of its members chairman of a committee to take action in the remodeling of several bird laws during the coming session of the Legislature. As noted at the last annual meeting that the annual illustrated lecture for which the Society pays should go to the town showing most work done for that Society in the year, and most progress made, it is awarded to the town of Norwalk, which is most alive at present in Audubon work. "Our membership this year has increased by 1,352, — 1,210 of this number being associate members or children who have signed a pledge to protect birds and who have received the buttons. This does not show so great an
