Report of the Audubon Society of the District of Columbia
For the District of Columbia the Secretary has a most encouraging report.
On Saturday, March 25, a very successful exhibit of spring millinery was given at the Hotel Corcoran, the ladies' parlors being kindly loaned for the occasion. About 300 women attended the exhibit in spite of a pouring rain, lasting the whole afternoon. Quite a number of bonnets and hats were sold, and every person attending left well supplied with Audubon literature.
In April, a free lecture by Mr. Henry Olds, entitled "Some Familiar Birds," was given at the First Baptist church, which was also kindly loaned for this most interesting talk. The lecture was fully illustrated by colored lantern slides, and was made doubly entertaining by Mr. Olds' clever imitations of the notes of the various birds explained. About 400 persons attended this lecture.
The Rev. Mr. Leasitt explained the aim and objects of the Audubon Society, Dr. C. Hart Merriam introducing the lecturer in the unavoidable absence of the President of the Society, Surgeon General George M. Sternberg. Audubon literature was again distributed, and some copies of Mrs. L. W. Maynard's valuable book 'Birds of Washington and Vicinity,' were sold.
The Audubon Society has started an Audubon collection of books in the new Free Library. This collection is designed primarily to be books of reference, large and expensive works, more especially for the use of teachers.
For the work in the public schools, Dr. T. S. Palmer and Miss Elizabeth V. Brown have been untiring and most successful. In the spring of 1898, two classes were arranged, one for teachers in the Normal School, in charge of Dr. Palmer, and one for teachers in the Second and Fourth grades, in the hands of Mr. H. C. Oberholser. The classes were limited to 12 members each, and work extended over ten weeks in 1898-9. Specimens were kindly loaned by the Biological Survey, and the classes were enabled to handle, compare, and identify skins of 175 species of the 290 birds recorded for the vicinity of Washington. These specimens included nearly all the land birds from this vicinity. Hints were given concerning the classification of birds, the characters of the principal groups, and the use of keys.
