shing a warden patrol among them, it was fondly hoped that the
notice to the world that these birds were now wards of the United
States would be sufficient to insure their safety.

A rude shock was felt, therefore, when late that year a rumour reached
Washington that a Japanese poaching vessel had been sighted heading for
these waters. The revenue cutter _Thetis_, then lying at Honolulu, was
at once ordered on a cruise to the bird islands. Early in 1910 the
vessel returned, bringing with her twenty-three Japanese feather
hunters who had been captured at their work of destruction. In the
hold of the vessel were stored two hundred and fifty-nine thousand
pairs of wings, {200} two and a half tons of baled feathers, and
several large cases and boxes of stuffed birds. Had the Japanese
escaped with their booty they would have realized over one hundred
thousand dollars for their plunder. This island was again raided by
feather collectors in the spring of 1915.

_President Taft a Bird Protectionist._--President Taft continued the
policy of creating bird reservations begun by Mr. Roosevelt, and a
number were established during his administration. President Wilson
likewise is a warm advocate of bird protection. One of many
reservations he has created is the Panama Canal Zone, which is in
charge of the Panama Canal Commission. With this exception and that of
the Pribilof Reservation, which is in charge of the Bureau of
Fisheries, all Government bird reservations are under the care of the
Department of Agriculture, and their administration is directed by the
Bureau of the Biological Survey. The National Association of Audubon
Societies still contributes in a modest way to the financial support of
some of the wardens. {201} Below is given a full list of the Federal
bird reservations created up to January, 1917, with the dates, and in
the order of, their establishment:

LIST OF NATIONAL BIRD RESERVATIONS

NO. NAME DATE OF
ESTABLISHMENT

1. Pelican Island, Fla. . . . . . . . . . . . . Mar. 14, 1903
2. Breton Island, La. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Oct. 4, 1904
3. Stump Lake, N. Dak. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mar. 9, 1905
4. Huron Islands, Mich. . . . . . . . . . . . . Oct. 10, 1905
5. Siskiwit Islands, Mich. . . . . . . . . . . . Oct. 10, 1905
6. Passage Key, Fla. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O