DIRECTORY OF STATE AUDUBON SOCIETIES
With names and addresses of their Secretaries.
| New Hampshire | Mrs. F. W. Batchelder, Manchester. |
| Massachusetts | Miss Harriet E. Richards, care Boston Society of Natural History, Boston. |
| Rhode Island | Mrs. H. T. Grant, Jr., 187 Bowen street, Providence. |
| Connecticut | Mrs. William Brown Glover, Fairfield. |
| New York | Miss Emma H. Lockwood, 243 West Seventy-fifth street, New York City. |
| New Jersey | Miss Anna Haviland, 53 Sandford Ave., Plainfield, N. J. |
| Pennsylvania | Mrs. Edward Robins, 114 South Twenty-first street, Philadelphia. |
| District of Columbia | Mrs. John Dewhurst Patten, 3033 P street, Washington. |
| Wheeling, W. Va. (branch of Pa. Society) | Elizabeth I. Cummins, 1314 Chapline street, Wheeling. |
| Ohio | Miss Clara Russell, 903 Paradrome street, Cincinnati. |
| Indiana | Amos W. Butler, State House, Indianapolis. |
| Illinois | Miss Mary Drummond, Wheaton. |
| Iowa | Miss Nellie S. Board, Keokuk. |
| Wisconsin | Mrs. George W. Peckham, 646 Marshall street, Milwaukee. |
| Minnesota | Mrs. J. P. Elmer, 314 West Third street, St. Paul. |
| Tennessee | Mrs. C. C. Conner, Ripley, |
| Texas | Miss Cecile Seixas, 2008 Thirty-ninth street, Galveston. |
| California | Mrs. George S. Gay, Redlands. |
The Law and the Bird
During the past ten months Bird-Lore has printed interesting statistics concerning the organization of the various State Audubon Societies, as well as significant reports of the progress of their work. So far so good. There are, of course, slight differences in the platforms of these societies regarding by-laws, methods, fees versus no fees, etc. Upon one point, however, they all agree—that while they deplore the use of the feathers of wild birds in millinery, the great point is the education of children to have the proper regard for bird life.
It is, however, necessary to go a step behind even this. A priori the bird must be given a legal status before it can be protected with any general success, even by those most willing so to do. In appealing to the average child of the public school, it should be remembered of how many races this average child is compounded,—races with instincts concerning what are called the lower animals, quite beyond the moral comprehension of the animal-loving Anglo-Saxon. To make this average school child respect the rights of the bird, the bird must be given a legal status to command, and not to beg respect. This child may be appealed to in other ways and may readily assent to all that you say, while your personal influence is with him, but he goes away and forgets; he does not feel the weight of a merely moral penalty.
Game birds have this legal status, in a greater or less degree, in all states, with perhaps the single exception of Mississippi, and sportsmen are always on the alert for infringement of the game laws.
It would seem to me wise for Audubonites to turn more attention to the legal status of the class of birds that they specially seek to protect.
Legislation in this respect is, of course, difficult to obtain, because many sportsmen are afraid of weakening the game laws by stirring up discussion regarding song birds, etc.; but much more can be made of the existing laws. That these are by no means adequately enforced, is evident to anyone who notices the hordes of men and boys prowling, these autumn days, about woods and meadows, where legitimate game birds are unknown, and Robins, Flickers, and even the smaller migrants are the only game. It makes one feel that the song bird protectionists must often "pass by on the other side," not having the honesty of their convictions in as militant a degree as the sportsmen, even when they have the law to back the bird.
It will doubtless be interesting to open these 'pages,' during the coming year, to a presentation and discussion of this legal status. We should like to receive the condensed bird laws of every state possessing such, as well as opinions as to what birds should be excluded from protection in the best interests of the Commonwealth, to the end that there may be a federation of Audubon Societies regarding the best method of obtaining legislation for the protection of desirable birds not covered by the game laws.