Great Nebraska

• Joy Higgins, Letter, 1903, Feb. 14
• Lawrence Bruner, Letter, 1903, Feb. 17
• Lawrence Bruner, Letter, 1903, Feb. 17 (2)

1903, Feb. 14

Dr. S. R. Towne, President
Miss Joy Higgins, Secretary

The Omaha Audubon Society,
For the Protection of Birds.
544 South Thirtieth Street
Omaha, February 14″ 1903

Feb 18 1903

Mr. Lawrence Bruner
Lincoln Nebr.
Dear Sir
Early in January the executive committee of the Omaha Audubon Society drafted a bill providing against trap-shooting in our state and placed it in the hands of Mr. Warner of Lincoln. Hearing of a similar measure being presented by Mr. Loomis of Fremont we have withdrawn our bill and wish to aid Mr. Loomis in any way possible. The Omaha Human

[illegible] as well is interested and all feel that now is the time to act. We will send a delegation of strong men from Omaha to meet the committee to which the bill has been refferred. Dr. Geo. L. Miller, Alfred Millard, Rev. John Williams, Rev. N. M. Meier Dr. S. R. Towne and others are willing to go and do what they can. The Omaha Gun Club is very active against the bill and is working strenuously. It would be very agreeable to the Omaha people if

the meeting of the committee could be arranged for the week of Febr. 23rd Please let me know your and Mr. Loomis’ wishes and if you have any suggestions I shall be more than pleased to act upon them.
Very Respectfully
Joy Higgins
Secy Omaha Audubon Society
544 So. 30th St.
Omaha

1903, Feb. 17

Feb. 17, 1903.

Mr. A. O. Ball,
Kelton, Utah.
My dear Sir:
Answering your favor of the 7th of February, in which you mention having a pair of fine eagles which you would dispose of would say that the University of Nebraska is not prepared to handle live birds, and would not care to buy them for killing since we already have a number of very fine specimens of eagles in the Museum. We occasionally obtain them from persons within our own state, in fact we receive at least a half dozen of both the Golden and Bald-headed species each year.

Thanking you for your interest in this matter,
I remain,
Very truly your,

1903, Feb. 17

Feb. 17, 1903.

Professor C. Hart Merriam,
Division of Biological Survey,
U. S. Department of Agriculture,
Washington, D. C.

My dear Sir:-
I have been asked to prepare a special report on the Relationship of some of our Birds to Horticulture for the forthcoming volume of the State Horticultural Society, and in doing this would like to illustrate so far as possible the number of species. I would therefore like to obtain electrotypes of the following named birds, which have appeared in various publications of your division.

– x Cuckoo–Yellow -bill.
Robin
Bluebird +
– x Chicadee
– x Brown Thrasher +
Catbird
House Wren +
– x Meadowlark
Bobolink
Redwing Blackbird +
– x Baltimore Oriole
Blue Jay
– x Kingbird
Phoebe
– x Goldfinch
Song Sparrow
x Toll Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Lark Sparrow
– x Dickcissel
– x Rosebrested Grosbeak
Cedarbird
– x Barn Swallow
x Mourning Dove
– x Mockingbird
Shrike–Great Northern +
+ Virginia rail
March Hawk +
– x Swainson’s
– x Short-eared Owl
– x Red-head Woodpecker
– x Crow Blackbird +
– x White-bellied Nuthatch

In writing or preparing this report I would like to quote quite extensively from a number of papers originating in your department, and shall gladly give full credit for anything so used.

1903, Feb. 18

The University of Nebraska
Lincoln
Department of
Entomology and Ornithology

Lawrence Bruner, Professor
Entomologist, Experiment Station
Acting State Entomologist

February 18, 1903.

Miss Joy Higgins,
544 South 13th St.,
Omaha, Nebr.

Dear Madam:-
Your favor of the 14th inst. with reference to the bill for prohibiting trap-shooting in Nebraska at hand, and I have to-day seen Mr. Loomis of Fremont, regarding his bill on this same subject. I also had a conference with the chairman of the committee of Fish and Game Protection and asked him concerning the time of meeting of said committee for the purpose of receiving statements from interested parties. He assured me that there would be no meeting before next week but possibly Monday evening next he would be able to get the committee together. By special arrangement he has agreed to notify me in ample time to get the Omaha people down so as to have them present at the meeting.

By the way, I would suggest that in bringing this matter before hte public you would be very careful to explicitly state that the bill is intended simply to prohibit the shooting of live birds from traps and not to exclude other trap shooting. I make this statement because sportsmen not only shoot live birds from traps but also glass-balls and discs of clay (sometimes called clay-pidgeons) in the same manner.

By not making a distinction between bird-shooting and glass-ball shooting in connection with traps sportsmen would naturally feel very much hurt.

In our meeting which was held two or more weeks ago this matter of live bird shooting came up and the sportsmen present all agreed that there was very little objection on their part to have this sort of shooting done away with as they had very little sympathy with persons who insisted on continuing this sort of sport. Accorcingly I believe there will be very little objection from the sportsmen if they understand that it is simply the live bird portion of trap-shooting which is aimed to be done away with.

I will try to keep posted and let you know any further move on the part of the committee and will let you know in time to have your forces marshaled in on the ground.
Yours very truly,

1903, Feb. 25

U. S. Department of Agriculture
Division of Publications
Washington, D. C.

H. C. Geo. Wm. Hill, Editor and Chief.
Jos. A. Arnold, Associate Editor.
B. D. Stallings, Assistant Editor.
R. B. Handy, In Charge Document Section.

Feb 28 Rec’d
March 5 Ans’d

February 25, 1903.

Prof. Lawrence Bruner,
University of Nebraska,
Lincoln, Nebr.

Dear Sir:
Upon the recommendation of Dr. C. Hart Merriam, Chief of the Division of Biological Survey, I have to-day instructed the Southern Printers’ Supply Company, 304 Tenth Street, N. W., this city, to make, from the original cuts furnished by this Department, electrotypes of the following twenty-five illustrations of birds, and to send the same to you together with their bill:

Cuckoo – yellow-bill, robin, bluebird, chicadee, brown thrasher, catbird, house wren, meadowlark, bobolink, redwing blackbird, Baltimore oriole, blue jay, kingbird, phoebe, goldfinch, song sparrow, field sparrow, lark sparrow, dickcissel, mockingbird, and shrike – great northern.

Please sign the accompanying circular and return it to this office as soon as you have received the cuts. It shows the form of credit to be given for the use of the illustrations, which, I understand, are to be used in a special report you are now preparing for the State Horticultural Society on “The Relationship of Some of our Birds to Horticulture.”
Very respectfully,
Geo. Wm Hill

Inclosure.