of bird life, we are sure that when they grow up
the wanton destruction of birds will almost cease. The Boy Scouts and
the Camp Fire Girls are learning to love and respect life in the wilds
and would not for anything injure its inhabitants. The children of the
Agassiz Associations and the Junior Audubon Societies can also be proud
of the work they are doing. They are not only saving the birds about our
homes but are attracting others by putting out food, planting trees that
bear attractive fruit, and making nesting places for the birds.

[Illustration: _American Forestry Association_
The boys who are going to see that our wild life is protected.]

The third important thing which has been bringing about the decrease of
the birds is hunting them for their plumes. For fifty years the demand
for plumes for millinery purposes has been growing. The trade has spread
until it now reaches the most remote islands of the sea. No bird, be
its home in the most remote and inaccessible jungles, has until recently
been safe from the plume hunter.

Now some of the foremost nations have passed laws for the protection of
many of the water and jungle birds, which, unfortunately for themselves,
are so beautiful that milady longs to have them for her bonnet. Nearly
all the states of our own land offer more or less protection to birds of
beautiful plumage. There is, however, much yet to be done, for in parts
of our country birds that should be protected are still at the mercy of
the plume hunter.

The Migratory Bird Law recently passed by Congress is one of the most
important things which we have ever done for the birds. This law
protects the multitude of water birds as well as land birds, that
migrate with the changing seasons. It is especially important that all
such birds be protected in the regions where they nest.

In the case of the water birds the nests are often grouped in colonies
in certain places and not scattered singly here and there as with most
land birds. Thus when a colony, say of the heron, tern, or flamingo, is
found it is very easy for the hunter to break it up and destroy all the
birds. Among the water birds the gulls, terns, grebes, herons, egrets,
osprey, flamingos, and pelicans have been so hunted for their plumes
that some of them are almost extinct. Several of these species love the
rocky coasts, where their nests are found upon the almost bare ledges of
the cliffs. Others establish colonies about the marshy