Bird lore - Project Puffin

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454 Bird - Lore
Through the courtesy of the secretary of the Young Men's Christian Asso-
ciation, we have the use of a room in its building for our Saturday-evening
meetings and popular bird-talks. These meetings are well attended and arouse
much interest. T. Gilbert Pearson, of the National Association of Audubon
Societies, and Vernon Bailey, of the United States Biological Survey, addressed
our members at a meeting in August. In this room we have an exhibit of
mounted bird-skins, nests, photographs, prints, etc., which we find useful for
study, comparison and illustration. Emma J. Welty, Corresponding Secretary.
Audubon Society of Rhode Island.—In cooperation with the Park
Museum, bird-lectures have been given at the Museum to 713 children, and
26 others to 2,879 adults and children at schools or organizations outside the
Museum; all of these lectures have been given by the secretary or by the
librarian of the Society, Miss Eva W. Magoon. The circulation of the traveling
libraries has amounted to 4,823 among 1,136 persons within the state; while
the circulation of the Society's permanent library at the Museum has been
2,695 among 400 persons. In cooperation with the National Association of
Audubon Societies, 55 new Junior Classes have been formed during the year,
representing 1,280 children.
As a direct result of the Junior work, early morning field-trips for bird-
study have been conducted throughout the spring, with a total attendance of
275. This field-work for children was conducted at Roger Williams Park, the
party with their teacher leaving the Museum at 7 a.m., spending an hour and
a half on bird-study, and returning in time for the opening of school. Satur-
day-morning trips for adults were conducted in Roger Williams Park for two
months by Miss Eva W. Magoon and Mrs. Fannie H. Eckstorm. Wednesdaymorning
trips for adults were conducted by Mrs. H. E. Walter, Miss M.
Elizabeth Bates, and Charles H. Abbott. These latter trips were taken in a
large park at the northern end of the city.
The most valuable and interesting work of the Society during the past
two years has been that done at Block Island by Miss Elizabeth Dickens.
Situated directly in the migration-path of the birds, Block Island affords an
unusual opportunity for observation. Of special importance is the fact that
Miss Dickens has sent valuable records made by herself and her father to the
United States Department of Agriculture; Miss Dickens has also made regular
monthly visits to the schools of Block Island, in the name of the Audubon
Society, and has so interested the pupils in the protection of birds that some
of the children have made bits of careful observation, have become extremely
interested in bird-banding, have erected bird-boxes, and have been instru-
mental in creating a strong sentiment for protection of birds. Work of this
sort deserves special mention not only because it shows what one person may
do in a small community but because the work is being carefully and scien-
tifically done by children.—H. L. Madison, Secretary.