> re as pare WADA Noe eae z ‘ He tees ae 222 2: ist = 52i28: egeseses es = ssf Hesttisés $253 t. + 534 ,] 52 Weths | an ‘- = WAY x eae tres é 4353 st $7563 S25 ae Whemeh ‘wa ie A) Hie 252528 selected’ : et aancie ¢ 1? EE: i H 2 i i a3 7. is $438 252 ies : = = by sane : T. ; H . =<3e =. $ ¢ ¢ 3 4 oe 238; 3 . te stds it Bite 2552322 ie ate 5 $4 a $33 aie 4223522 : bet at seteehrest 54 z, LIBRARY OF THE MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY m= cH TH . BEQUEST OF WILLIAM BREWSTER |, 1920. | SE _ (_JWILLIAM BREWSTERI|L__] ee all A CIRCULAR LETTER Addressed to Members and Friends of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and to all interested im Bird Protection. NOLS le APRIL, 1903— DECEMBER, 1905. London : Pie se AL THE OF RICE Oro iHke -ROVAL SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF BIRDS, 3, HANOVER SQUARE, W. 1905. SY ; ’ 2 a | ‘ : — eet ; | "e | Ae Seyi) | : tae ye, ATA See YRIOOS KOREN 1 5 ee. GAD CAA AS Ghee: ¥.- = : G _ 3 * ~ sith + r & i ‘ } . be 7 ’ ot “1 i. ‘ = . rs rm 2 ™ rs j = s : i e S Z — s - we i ; , = "3 < ae } — ‘ « ( \ = / 4 =| 1S { < ‘Ce y) / : 7 e 3 i ' ; i é , ba } f a J 4 4 ( J i i i ) * “7 ~ | 4 Le at , ‘ “ md > ci 4 ' f ei . , J ; . i) eae : . 4 a a - ‘ b: * ee: * he a4 — F = ; ara Pf it INDEX. $$ Aberdeen, Prosecution for Egg-lifting, 39 Aor. oird Protection, 9; 36, 52, 57; 9 Africa, British, Bird Protection Law, 79 Africa, Central, Bird Protection in, 43 Agricultural Conference, International, 73, 83 “ Agricultural News ” (Barbados), quoted, 7 Army and Navy Stores, 7 Art Students and Bird Life, 12 Audubon Societies, Reports of, 3, 28, 68; History of, 68; Model Law, 61; Agreement with Milliners, 28, 70; Sennett Slides, 37 Australia and Bird Protection, 38, 51, 78, 86 Australian Branch, 40 Aviculture, 93 Barry Links, gorse-burning, 13 Bass Rock, 97 Berkshire, Birds of, 73 “ Biography of a Lie, The,” 5 Bird and Tree County Challenge Shield Compe- titions, II, 21, 37, 54, 102; Canon Rawnsley Bird and Tree Festivals, 29, 62 [on, 43 Birdca'chers in Court, 4, 16, 23, 31, 39, 47, 56, 64, 76, Bird-catching, 3, 27, 33, 45, 52, 62, 109 [105 Birdnesting, 3, 14, 31 “‘ Bird Notes from the Nile,” 51 Bird Protection at the Ornithologicai Congress, 86, OI Bird Protection in Cape Colony, 11, 51,79; Egypt, A To mindia, 13; 50; 77; Japany 11s Malay States, 11 ; West Indies, 7, 70, 80 Bird Protection in Winter, 9. 48 ; on Sunday, 10 Bird Protection Law, 9, 36, 50, 52, 57,91 ; through- out British Empire, 77, e¢ seg. Bird Shelters, 12, 99 Bird Tables, 20 Birds as Tree Planters, 72 Bitterns in England, 59 Blinding Song Birds, 34, 47 Board of Agriculture, 6 Borrett, Mr. F. C., on Egg Collectors, 14 Boyle, Hon. Mrs., on Bird Millinery, 19 Bradford Scientific Association, 19 Bullfinches in Hats, 12 Cage Birds. Cruelty to, 8, 23, 64 Cage-Bird Traffic, 27, 33, 61, 64, 76, 86, 94, 96 Caging of Wild Birds, The, 33 Canada, Bird Protection Law, 79 Cape Colony, 11, 51, 79 Cattle-Egret, Destruction of, 4 Ceylon, 23 Chapman, Mr. F. M., on Egrets, 38 ; on Pelicans, 94 Cheshire, Prosecutions in, 76, 96, 105 Coastguard, H.M., 6, 67 Collector, the private, 14, 17, 26, 35, 53, 60 Colorado, Board of Horticulture, 75 Cormorant and Fisheries, 15, 20 ‘Country Life in America,” 69 County Council Orders, 3, 7, 15, 32, 40, 48, 64, 8&3, 100 ; Operation of, 9, 10, 27, 48, 57, 72 Courts, In the, 4, 8, 16, 23, 31, 39, 47, 56, 64, 76, 98 Cromer, Lord, 1o Cust, Mr. Lionel, Letter to 77z77es, 26 Decoy Birds, Cruelty to, 16; 23,32, 39, 47, 56, 64, 76 Derbyshire, Prosecutions in, 8, 105 Durham, Prosecution in, 96 Dutcher, Mr: W., 37, 61 Economic Value ot Birds, 4, 7, 15,23, 71, 72, 73,93 Educational Work, 43, 60 Ege, Collecting, 6, 14, 17; 31, 35 * sales, 17,56 Eggs, Illegal Taking of, 8, 16, 47,56; Artificial or Model, 12, 31, 59 Egret Plumes. See “‘ Osprey ” Egrets, Destruction of, 4, 20, 26, 38, 69, Ico Eyypt, Birds of, 4, 10, 51 Essex, Prosecutions in, 47, 64, 106 Extermination, A Story of, 25 Rarmers:and Birds, 3, 15,71, 73, 10% Farne Islands, 12, 83 Felsted School, 31 _ Fife, Prosecution in, 96 Finchley, Birds of, 73 Florida, Egrets of, 26, 38, 69, 100 ; Warden killed, 87 Forfar, Prosecution in, 96 Poula, Ar;163 Game Preserving and Wild Birds, 10, 53, 71, 73 Gannets, 42, 71, 97 Gloucestershire, Prosecution in, 39 “Go, Lovely Bird,” 19 Goldfinch, 9. See ‘‘ Prosecutions ” Great Auk, 25 Great Skva, 41, 47 Grebe, 46 Gulls and Herrings, 36, 51 Gulls, Nesting Grounds, 84, 85 Guildford, Osprey-shooting Case, 56 Hampshire, Prosecution in, 23 Helmer, Mr. T., quoted, 72 Herefordshire, Prosecution in, 39 Heron, in Cheshire, 76 ; Buff-backed, 4 Hertfordshire, Prosecution in, 76 Houghton, Rev. E. J., 19 Hubbard, The late Mrs., 87 Hudson, Mr. W. H., on Bird-catching and Col- lecting, 53; on Wheatears and Elder-trees, 72 ““ Hunting the Wren,” 17 Hurlingham, 72 Hutton, Captain, on House Sparrow, 83 Incorporation of the Society, 49 India, Bird Protection Law, 65 Indian Branch of the R.S.P.B., 13, 50, 67 International Bird Protection, 65 Irby, Colonel, 14, 67 Ireland, Bird Protection in, 6 Italy, 52 Jamaica 70, 80 Japan and Bird Protection, 11, 45 Job, Mr. H. J., on Egret-hunting, 69, 100 Kekewich, Sir G., 43 Kent, Prosecutions in, 16, 64, 105 King, Mr. F., on Birds in Jamaica, 70 iV. INDEX. Kirkman, Mr. F. B., on Walney Island, 84 Kite in Wales, 15, 105 Lacey Law, 27 Lagos, 43 Lankester, Proiessor, quoted, 20, 88 Law, The, and its Critics, 57 Mectures. A-Mlo24- 22. 10 Lincolnshire Gull Colony, 85 Lindsay, Captain, on Birds of District, 73 London, Birds of, 15, 28 Lost and Vanishing Birds, 89 Lundy Island, 42, 83 Lyttelton, Canon, Letter to Headmasters, 14 Malay States, 11, 23 Mayo, Lord, 6 Medd, Mr. J. C., on Nature study, 12 Medway, Lord, quoted, 18 Metropolitan Police-Courts, Prosecutions at, 4, 23, | [32, 39, 47, 56, 76 Middlesex, Prosecutions, 64, 76 Migration, 94 Muirburn in Wales, 13 Millinery, 3, 12, 18, 28, 38, 45, 60, 37. See “ Plume-Trade” | National Park, Plea for, 37 Nature-study, 12, 16, 22, 43, 45, 104 Nest made of Candles, 71 Nesting Boxes, 12, 59, 63, 99 New South Wales, 38, 51, 66, 86 . New Zealand, 70, 72, 79, 83 Nile, Pigeon- Houses on the, 51 ‘Nineteenth Century,” quoted, 37 Norfolk, Prosecutions, 16 Northants, Prosecution, 96 Notes, 6, 11, 21, 27, 35, 44, 51, 59, 71, 86 Nottinghamshire, Prosecution, 76 Obituary Notices, 36, 44, 67, 36 O’Connell, Sir Ross, 67 Ornithological Congress, International, 61, 65, 89 Osprey in Surrey, 49, 56 “Osprey ~»Plumes, 4) 60, 07. 45ce. wenet” *’ Ospreys,” “ Artificial,” 5, 19, 38, 69, 838 Ostrich-Farming, 29, 60, 69 Paradise Plumes, 45 Passenger Pigeon, 25 Peacock, 50 Pelican, 4, 94 Penguins, 66, 81, 91 Phillipines, Need of Bird Protection in, 28 Pigeons, London, 37; Passenger, 25 Plovers’ Eggs, 7, 70 Plume-Birds, 45, 66 Plume-Trade, 3; 66;- Sales, 4, 20, 39, 47, 52; Ol,079, Poisoned Grain Act, 39, 64, 96 [88, 1o1 Pole Trap, 10, 26; 40, 71, TO} Police and Bird Protection, 22 Portland, Duchess of, 18, 60 iePOSSESSION,” 1O-27,.31,, 52 Prosecutions, 4, 8, 11, 16, 23, 31, 39, 47,°59; 64, 7O;@0 Protection Law in Greater Britain, 77 “ Punch,” quoted, 19 Pycraft, Mr. W. P., quoted, 39, 88 Rare Birds, 17. 26, 35, 49, 59, 60, 89 “Rationale of Bird Protection,” 92 Rawnsley, Canon, on Rural Life, 43 Renshaw, Mr. Graham, 30 Rhodesia, Letter from, 72 Ribble Valley, 60 Rooks versus Grubs, 15 Rooper, Late Mi. eG. Rothschild, Hon. W., on Lost and Vanishing Birds, 89 : Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The, 1 ; Annual Meetings, 2, 27, 59; Charter of In- corporation, 49; Committee and Council Meetings, 11, 23, 56, 59, 65, 83; Autumn Conference (1905) Sennett Slides, 37 Schlich, Prof., quoted, 28 Schoolboys and Eygg-collecting, 14, 31 School Leagues, 44 Scotland, 6, 37 Scottish Natural History Society, 19 Shaw, Mr. G. B., quoted, 37 Shetland Isles, 17, 41, 42, 49, 96 Signalman and the Birds, 86 Singing-contests, Public-house, 34 Slater, Rev. EE H| Paperiby,.73 i ““ Snarglu,” 73 Somerset, Prosecution in, 23 Southwell, Mr. T., quoted, 18 Sparrow Clubs, 6, 67 Sparrow, House-, Word for the, 83 Staffordshire, Prosecution in, 64 | Starling Shoots, 64 Stewart, C., ‘“‘ Plea for a Public Park,” 37 Stirling, Prosecution in, 16 St. Kilda Wren, 17, 41, 42 “Story of Extermination, A,” 25 Suffolk, Prosecutions in, 56, 105 Sunday Bird Protection, 10 Surrey, Prosecutions in, 23, 39, 56, 76, 96, 106 Sussex, Prosecutions in, 16, 31, 39, 47, 76 Swallows, 38, 48, 83, 92 Switzerland, 44 Tea-growers and Birds, 23 Terns, 16, 84 Thief and the Possessor, 52 * Times, quotedsy7. a5 Trees and Climate, 28 “ Tropical Agriculturist,” quoted, 23 United States, Cage -Bird Trade, 61, 66 Ussher, Mr. R. J., quoted, 15 Vachery Lake, Osprey killed on, 49 Visger, Mrs., on “A Bird Sanctuary,” 99 Wake, Sir Herewald, on Educational Work, 60 Wales, Grass Burning in,13; Prosecutions in, 32, 105 Wallace, Dr. A. R., on “‘ Thief and Possessor,” 52 Walney Island, $4 Watchers, 22, 35, 42, 59, 83 Watts, Late Mr"Gl PR As a4 Wellington, Elizabeth, Duchess of, The late, 44 West Indies, 7, 70, 80 Wild Animals in Captivity Act, 8, 16, 23 “ Wild Wings,” 98, 100 Wilson, Dr. E. A., on Penguins, 66, 81, 91 Winchester, Bishop of, 21 Winter Bird Protection, 9, 48 Woodcock, 14 Yorkshire, Prosecutions in, 8, 39, 47, 106 reular etter issued Periodically by the Society for the County Council Orders. . Pinna Tred Figures for 1902. The Buff-backed Heron. introductory. In the Courts. [he Story of the Society. Annual Meeting, 1903. Audubon Societies. lo. 1.—APRIL, 1903. IkKD NOTES - NEWS. = CONTENTS. Protection of Birds. The Man with a Gun. Lectures, 1903. Picture Postcards. LONDON, 3, HANOVER SQUARE, W. Fntroductory. AE MBERS of the SOCIETY FOR THE S PROTECTION OF BIRDS have been g asking for some time past for a y? periodical publication through which M3 news of the Society’s doings, to- ENG gether with items of general interest ; to bird protectors, could reach them, and in which the various activities of the branches might be chronicled. Now that the Society has entered upon the fourteenth year of its existence, and has enrolled over 5000 associates and many thousand members, the development of the work seems to warrant the issue of such a leaflet, and it is hoped that it will merit a kind reception. HISTORY OF THE SOCIETY. The SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF BIRDS, founded in February, 1889, “in the hope of inducing a considerable number of women, of all ranks and ages, to unite in discouraging the enormous destruction of bird life exacted by milliners and others for purely decorative pur- poses” (to quote from the first annual report), was not the earliest protest raised against this shame- ful slaughter of brilliant and beautiful birds. Perhaps the first strong impulse to the movement was given by Professor Newton’s memorable impeachment of the women-wearers of seabirds? wings at the British Association meeting in 1868. A few years later the Baroness Burdett-Coutts, now a life associate of our Society, in a letter to the Zzmes, censured especially the wearing of humming-birds. A plumage league was sub- sequently formed, of which the Hon. Mrs. Boyle was an earnest promoter, and Jater still the Selborne Society included the preservation of birds among the many admirable articles of its comprehensive agenda. The founder of the SocieTy FoR THE PRo- TECTION OF BIRDS was Vrs. R. W. Williamson, of Didsbury, still a vice-president and hon. branch secretary. It began very quietly as a. society of women only. The requirements for membership were merely an undertaking to observe the two short rules and the payment of twopence for a membership card. These remain the conditions of simple membership. S» modest and apparently insignificant, indeed, was it that, in the second of its existence, when its headquarters were removed from Manchester to London, it was greeted with smi'es of amusement rather than of sympathy, and the little first report, with its few pages and its balance-sheet showing an income of £7 13s. 8d., was described in one of the London weeklies as “a sparrow’s housekeeping book.” The history of the baby association seems likely to illustrate the old adage, so proudly cherished by Lancashire folk, “What Manchester thinks to-day England thinks to morrow.” In 1891, when the Society could number its adherents by hundreds only, the Duchess of Port- land became president, and her Grace has ever since manifested the warmest sympathy with the work. In the same year Mrs. Edward Phillips, a pioneer in the cause, took office as vice-president, and Miss C. V. Hall as treasurer. Among the first branch secretaries were not a few whose names it is pleasant still to find in the list, such as Mrs. Suckling, Miss Allanson-Winn, Mrs. Cornish Bowden, Mrs. J. Thornely, Miss Salisbury, Mrs. Paterson, Mrs. Beacall, and Miss Beeching. In year 2 BIRD NOTES AND NEWS. 1892 Miss Hannah Poland, who had taken over the secretaryship from Mrs. Williamson, was suc- ceeded by Mrs. F. E. Lemon, the present hon. secretary of the Society. Meanwhile the scope of the Society was rapidly extending, and it had become evident that some- thing of a much broader and more inclusive character was called for than had originally been contemplated. Sympathy with its efforts quickly brought naturalists and other bird-lovers into its ranks ; ornithologists as well as humanitarians recognized from the first the potentialities of such an association as a leader in promoting laws for bird protection, and in educating the general public to a fuller sense of the utility of birds as well as of their beauty and charm; and it is through the co-operation of many varying minds working for a common end that the Society has expanded from an anti-plumage league into an organization working for the protection of wild birds in every way and by all available means from wanton slaughter and cruelty, and especially for the pre- servation of rarer species. Among the earliest of its members and supporters were Lord Lilford, Professor Newton, Mr. Auberon Herbert, Mr. H. S. Marks, R.A., Canon Tristram, Dr. Sclater, Dr. Bowdler Sharpe, Mr. W. H. Hudson, Mr. Harvie-Brown, the Rev. F. O. Morris, Mr. John Colam, Mr. Linley Sambourne, Mr. G. D. Leslie, R.A., Sir Herbert Maxwell, Bishop Westcott, Bishop Barry, Dr. (now Bishop) Welldon, Canon Jessopp, Sir Edward Grey, Mr. Sydney Buxton, Lord Wolseley, and Sir Ross O'Connell ; while the ladies foremost in strengthening its influence included Elizabeth Duchess of Wellington, the Duchess of Somerset, Eleanor Duchess of Northumberland, Aldine Lady Forester, Lady Lyall, the Hon. C. M. Powys (now the Hon. Mrs. Drewitt), the Hon. Mrs. Boyle, Lady Grey, Mrs. Brightwen, Mrs. Owen Visger, Mrs. R. F. Sturge, Miss Power Cobbe, Lady Hooker, Dr. Sophia Jex-Blake, and Miss Rhoda Broughton. Increased aims and efforts naturally demanded increased funds. At first the young Society had even declined donations ; recognition of the fact that literature was absolutely necessary to spread abroad its propaganda brought about a speedy change of attitude. The first guinea to the funds came from Professor Newton, followed by a second from the Rev. A. L. Hussey, and a donation of 4,10 from Mr. Harvie-Brown enabled the treasurer to open a modest banking account. It was, however, evident that a settled income was a matter of first importance, and at a general meeting held in 1893 the present constitution of the Society was framed, in which the title of Associate for annual sub- scribers was adopted, the mzzimum amount being fixed at one shilling so as to suit every class of sympathiser, while a guinea was made the quali- fication for Life Associateship. The term Fellow, for those subscribing a guinea a year, was not / introduced until 1897. At the end of 1893 the | register showed nearly 500 Associates ; less than ten years have multiplied the number by ten, and it may be hoped that future increase will be at least in corresponding ratio. In 1895 Mr. Montagu Sharpe, whose wide experience and legal knowledge have been of great advantage to the Society, became chairman of committee, succeeding Mr. Hudson, who in the previous year had relieved Mrs. Phillips of the post which she had held from the formation of the committee. For years the business of the Society was carried on from the private residences of the lead- ing workers, the committee meetings being held at 105, Jermyn Street, through the kindness of the R.S.P.C.A.; but the increase in correspondence and clerical work having made this arrangement no longer possible, in 1898 the committee started head- quarters of their own by renting a room of the Zoological Society of London at 3, Hanover Square, W. It may be of interest to add the names of those gentlemen who have presided at the annual meet- ings : — 1894, Mr. E. H. Bayley, M.P.; 1895, Mr. Sydney Buxton, M.P. (now the Society’s hon. treasurer); 1896, Sir Herbert Maxwell, M.P. ; 1897, the Earl of Stamford ; 1898, Mr. Montagu Sharpe ; 1899, Sir Edward Grey, M.P. ; 1900, the Marquis of Granby ; 1901, Mr. Montagu Sharpe ; 1902, Sir George Kekewich, K.C.B.; 1903, the Duke of Bedford, K.G. ANNUAL MEETING, 19038. THE annual meeting of the Society, held on February 10th, was reported in an unusually large number of newspapers, and in many cases editorial articles and notes commented on the work. The Times, in a leading article, advocated a knowledge of birds and their ways as the best preventive of ‘the wanton destruction of a form of wealth that cannot be replaced.” ‘“ Not necessarily scientific knowledge, but that possessed by the true sports- BIRD NOTES man, the genuine lover of the country ; to be got not from books but through the attentive ear and the eye heeding all living things ; taken in without effort, never forgotten, and forbidding waste and desecration of the best things around us.” The birdcatcher gets an “appreciation” from both the 7zmes and Standard. “The vagabond who steals from hedgerow to hedgerow with his traps and limed twigs has in him the making of nothing valuable,” says the former. ‘He is cruel, ignorant, idle, and a pest, too often meriting Izaak Walton’s description, ‘base vermin.’ A society which will stiffen public opinion in its reprobation of the gangs that ravage and empty our fields will do solid work.” “The chief mischief,” says the Standard, ‘‘is done by the birdcatchers. . . . It is our feathered friends of the fields, meadows, and gardens that we desire to see protected from the wretched prowlers who now prey on them with comparative impunity.” The Country Gentleman likewise refers to the birdcatchers and the bird-dealers, but even more sharply denounces the “extraordinary amount of damage” done by village boys on so-called bird- nesting expeditions. ‘“‘They do not want or attempt to collect the eggs. They seem to take pleasure in merely tearing the nest from the hedge or tree and throwing it on the ground. The number of eggs that they destroy in a year must amount to millions, and there is practically no available machinery to prevent such destruction.” The Indian edict and “murderous millinery” fully share in the notice widely given to bird- catching and bird-watching, and to Bird and Tree Day. “If it is possible,” remarks the Speaker, “to prohibit the export of Indian bird-skins it ought to be possible to forbid the importation into this country of trophies from less enlightened countries, ¢.g., South America. Meantime, in the name of mercy, it is the duty of individuals who know the facts to speak sternly to women who encourage this savage trade.” The Wotts Guardian boldly declares that “No man ought to marry a woman who uses the mangled bodies of birds for her own adornment, because such a woman must be either thoughtless or cruel.” The Drager, while with the Society in its protests, “ doubts whether milliners can do anything to help on the reform, however much they may sympathise with it. They are compelled to follow the fashion.” For “the fashion ” read “the trade.” The Outlook, Saturday Review, Spectator, Shooting Times, Daily Graphic, St. James’s AND NEWS. 3 Gazette, Daily News, and Daily Chronicle are among other London papers which take occasion to speak in support of the Society’s objects, and Land and Water makes the practical commentary : “When we consider the large field of work which is Open it seems almost unworthy of our nation that the total income of the SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF BIRDS for the year should amount to just under £600.” AUDUBON SOCIETIES. THE reports for 1902 of the thirty-three Audubon Societies established in the United States of America show marked progress in the work of bird protection, especially with regard to the services rendered by the Wardens, who are now employed in seven States, z.¢., in Florida, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Vir- ginia. Inthe report from Virginia it is stated “it is our duty to report that all the sea bird colonies on the Virginia coast are making a steady gain It is now impossible for plume hunters to visit this coast and kill terns and gulls by the thousands, as they did only a few years since ; if such an attempt were to be made the plumers would have to reckon with a very determined party of eight Wardens.” Captain Savage, the Warden of Wachapreague Beach, writes: ‘‘Those who made a business of killing birds in former years have been forced to desist, knowing that they are watched and will be brought to account if caught.” It is interesting to notice that in January, 1903, the National Committee of the Audubon Societies issued the first number of their Educational Series of Leaflets ; this paper treats of the night hawk Among their other recent leaflets are “ Feathers on Hats; six alleged fallacies by Milliners,” by Mr. Frank Chapman, and a 16-page pamphlet which gives a list of books on birds for students and the general reader. ee County Council Orders.—Since the issue of the Society’s report for 1902, in which a complete list of tne Orders in force is given, the following Wild Bird Pro tection Orders have been renewed— County of Devon, dated Feb. 18th, 1903. County Borough of Barrow-in-Furness, dated Feb 18th, 1903; and County Borough of Hastings, dated Feb. 24th, 1903 A new Order has been issued for the County of Surrey, dated March 18th, 1903. It adds a large number of birds to the Schedule, gives all the year protection to 7: species, and protects certain eggs. Ac BIRD NOTES AND NEWS. ee THE PLUME TRADE. THE following figures give the number of packages of “osprey” or heron plumes, and of bird of paradise skins, offered for sale by auction at the London Commercial Sale Rooms during 1902. They are taken from the official catalogues. EE, Birds of Paradise. Re bruatyen ea... 326 4,052 JO) 0 ee ae peerage 313 2,072 PING Socios saseeeee 252 2,977 ERUIS USES coat 155 2,646 October veces 334 2,895 Decembence.. 32: 228 4,910 fT otalipecrs 1,608 19,552 A package of osprey feathers varies in amount from two or three to over one hundred ounces ; but a careful computation shows the average to be about thirty ounces to the package. This gives a total of 48,240 ounces, and on the received esti- mate that four birds are required to yield one ounce of plumes, we have a total of 192,960 birds killed in the breeding season to furnish one year’s feather sales. Of the birds of paradise 13,992 were catalogued as females. ee Killing Down the Buff-Backed Heron.—In the last issue of the Jourval of the Khedivial Agricultural Society, attention is called, apparently none too soon, to the great diminution in the number of useful birds in the neigh- bourhood of Cairo. The writer (Dr. Innes) tells of the ‘‘almost total extermination” of the buff-backed heron (Ardea bubulcus), which he calls the cattle-egret, from its habit of attending cattle and relieving them of insect pests. In this connection it may be mentioned that the only authenticated British-killed specimen was ‘‘ shot (in 1805) while following some cows and picking up insects.” Birds of this species follow the plough and pick up mole- crickets and larvz. Capt. Shelley says that they cause ‘‘sreat havoc among the locusts and other insects.” They were so common in the past and did so much good that many travellers confounded them with the sacred ibis. Dr. Innes attributes the reduction in the numbers of this useful species to ‘‘ so-called sportsmen, who kill for the sake of killing.” He also points out that, unless a stop be put to reckless shooting so as to allow the birds to increase, it will be necessary to take steps, involving considerable expense, for the destruction of injurious insects. Dr. Innes pleads for some measure of protection for this species, whose services to man are too valuable to allow it to be exterminated without an effort being made to stop reckless slaughter. — Hy. S.—From the /’e/d, Feb. 14th, 1903. In the Courts.—At Enfield Police Court, Wm. H. G. Putnam, a professional birdcatcher, of Enfield, was fined 10s. and costs for snaring wild birds with a net on March Ist. He had taken three goldfinches, a chaffinch, and three linnets, and was using a redpoll, suspended on a string, asadecoy. After being cared for by the police, the injured decoy bird recovered, and the magistrates ordered the birds to be released and the nets destroyed. The Man with a Gun.—Last month two of the four St. James’s Park pelicans were reported missing, having taken a longer flight than usual from their home. Both have been shot—one at Frensham, the other at Lancing. LECTURES, 1903. THE following lectures, illustrated by the Society’s slides, have been given since January Ist :— January 2nd, Newport, Fife, Miss Berry; January 3rd, Newport, Mr. W. Berry ; January 12th, Fare- ham, Rev. J. E. Kelsall ; January 17th and January 22nd, Northampton, Rev. G. E. Startup ; January 21st, Winchester, Miss Williams ; January 22nd, Westerham, Miss Hall; January 26th, Clydach, Mr. W. J. P. Player; January 28th, Colchester, Rev. G. A. Hicks ; February 2nd and 7th, Pen-y- grove, Carnarvon, and Llanbedi, Mr. Wilson Roberts ; February 5th, Maidstone, Mr. Allchin ; February 11th, Fareham, Rev. J. E. Kelsall ; February 11th and 12th, Littleport, Mrs. Lud- dington ; February 12th, New Malden, Mrs. Nelson; February 16th, Holt, Mr. J. G. Woods ; February 26th, Uttoxeter, Mr. Masefield ; February 28th, Heywood, Mr. Dodgson; March 2nd, Bradford, Mr. Butterfield ; March 2nd, Canterbury, Miss Holmes ; March 7th, Malvern Wells, Mr. Stable ; March gth to 14th (four lectures), Mrs. Walter Greg ; March 12th, Southport, Mr. North Dufty ; March 17th, Romford, Mr. C. B. Russell ; March 20th, Witham, Rev. A. F. Curtis ; March 2oth and 21st, Wyggeston High School, Leicester, Miss Gardner; March 21st to 28th, Northampton, Mr. Bates; March 24th, Portsea, Mr. Seale ; March 3oth, Sholing, Rev. J. E. Kelsall ; March 31st, Morley Memorial Hali, Mr. F. Finn. The Committee have to thank Mr. Masefield for the gift of five slides (nesting-boxes), Mr. Luddington for five (nests), and Mr. Butterfield for one (chaffinch’s nest). PICTURE POSTCARDS. Now ready, in packets of one dozen (four assorted designs), 1s. a packet. Single card 13d., post free. No. 1. The Magic Circle. No. 2. Woodland Notes. No. 3. The Birds’ Pillar Box. No. 4. At My Window. Published by the Society for the Protection of Birds, 3, Hanover Square, W. SUBSCRIPTION. Birp Notes AND NEws will be sent post free to any address for Is. per annum, payable in advance. To Associates of the Society subscribing 5s. and upwards per annum it will be forwarded gratis and post free. Printed by WirHERBY & Co., 326, High Holborn, W.C., and published by the SocreTY FOR THE PROTECTION OF BIRDS, 3, Hanover Square, London, W., of whom copies may be obtained, price 2d. each. ' ¢ NEWS. renlar etter issued Periodically by the Society for the Protection of Birds. sIRD NOTES NTE : County Council Orders. co N TS Cork Exhibition. The Biography of a Lie. Bird Protection in Ireland. Notes—H.M. Coastguard. Egg Lifting in Scotland. Sparrow Clubs. Goring League. Army and Navy Stores. Plovers’ Eggs. News from Branches. Lectures. In the Courts. Picture Postcards. Next Issue. Bird Protection in the West Indies, To. 2.—JULY, 1903. LONDON, 3, HANOVER SQUARE, W. THE BIOGRAPHY OF A LIk, HEN the history comes to be written —and it will bea long one—of the crazes and follies of fashion, there will be no more remarkable story in the whole collection than that of the ‘osprey ” plume. Fifty years hence, when the egret has been practically exterminated, or its plumes are no longer considered fit wear for civilized women, our descendants will read with amazement that, ata period when woman was loudly claiming to be intellectual, rational, and cultured, she became possessed of a passion for ornamenting her head- gear with a certain tuft of plumes ; that to procure this she had distant lands ransacked and beautiful harmless birds ruthlessly slaughtered in their breeding time, and nestlings by the hundreds of thousands starved to death; that she was deaf to the appeals of the humane against the wide- spread and wanton cruelty involved, deaf to the invective of the naturalist as he looked forward to the extirpation of a noble species, deaf to the contempt and disgust of the thoughtful, expressed plainly enough by the Press of the day ; careless as to how the creatures were done to death, or what the world lost of life and loveliness. They will further read that when the voice of pro- test became too loud to be ignored, and threatened to interfere with business interests, the trade—at the very time that the plumes of tens of thousands of herons and egrets were being sold annually in London auction-rooms, and cries of indignation and expostulation at the massacres of the plume-hunters were going up from Florida, Mexico, Venezuela, é India, China—at this very time the trade denied again and again the familiar scientific fact as to the origin of the plumes, and declared them to be artificial, ““manufactured” out of all manner of material other than egret feathers. In 1896, when these plumes were being sold as artificial, in order to satisfy the scruples of bird- lovers, Sir William Flower, then Director of the Natural History Museum, wrote to the Zzmes to protest against the use of this “ glaring falsehood” to bolster up a fashion by which one of the most beautiful of birds was being swept off the face of the earth. In the spring of the present year the same falsehood was circulated in fashion journals and told in milliners’ shops, with extraordinary eagerness. The Society for the Protection of Birds, anxious to obtain samples of the “imitation ospreys,” of which so much was heard, but of which it had never been able to procure a single example, again investigated the matter. Its representatives purchased specimens, which were sold and invoiced as artificial, at leading drapery and millinery esta- blishments in the West Endand elsewhere. Appa- rently there was no difficulty in procuring the article ; every shop visited professed to supply it, though at two (and two only) the assistants, when questioned, admitted that ‘‘ imitation” was simply a trade name, and that no such things as artificial “‘ospreys” were to be had. The specimens were sent to the Natural History Museum for examination, and the Society has the authority of Professor Ray Lankester and Dr. Bowdler Sharpe for stating that one and all are genuine—the nuptial feathers of the egret. Other “ospreys” from different parts of the country have been submitted to the same authori- ties ; these, too, were all sold as artificial ; these, too, all proved to be real. The Society has also asked aS \ = * Ae SJ ~ i SS Y q ‘ RY | cif Nica at y NY Lae 2 BIRD NOTES publicly for the address of any factory where arti- ficial ‘‘ osprey ” plumes are made, but this has never been given. The pseudo-artificial ospreys are to be bought at any price, from a few pence to over a pound, the cheap “brush” sorts being merely coarser kinds or lower portions of the spray. The low price has supported a supposition that the article must be imitation ; but since the material is obtained by shooting down wild birds in nesting-grounds where 300 may be killed in an afternoon by two or three men, and extravagant sums are asked for the finer qualities, it may well be that there is more profit on goods so gotten than if the wages of skilled workers and the cost of elaborate machinery had to meet the production of “ manufactured ” feathers. Many inventions may yet be to the fore to bolster up the trade in egret plumes ; but it cannot go on indefinitely. ‘‘ These beautiful birds,” an eminent ornithologist writes to the Society, “have been wiped out in nearly every one of their old haunts, and ‘ospreys’ will go out of fashion, as there will soon be no birds left to kill.” Some day it will surely appear incredible that such a network of cruelty, folly, and duplicity should have been woven round a scrap of useless ornament. BIRD PROTECTION IN IRELAND. IN the House of Lords on May 7th the Earl of Mayo asked, with regard to Close Season for Wild Birds in Ireland, why notices had not been posted up for the last three years on all the Royal Irish Constabulary barracks in Ireland. The posting of these notices would aid the preserva- tion of wild birds, because people in the remoter parts of the country would then know what the law was. Lord Balfour, in reply, said that in May, 1899, the police throughout Ireland were instructed to enforce the Acts, and were at the same time instructed to warn persons against committing offences against the law. Notices with regard to the Act were then posted up, but it had not since been considered necessary to renew them. Prose- cutions had been undertaken by the police. In 1899 there were six prosecutions and two convic- tions ; in 1900 six prosecutions and one conviction ; in 1901 three prosecutions and three convictions ; in 1902 four prosecutions and four convictions. He was informed that the police were thoroughly alive to their duties under the Act. If the noble lord had any information which would show that the Acts were not strictly enforced, and would submit it to the Irish Office, an enquiry would be made, because it was the desire of the Irish Office to see these valuable Acts enforced as thoroughly as possible. AND NEWS. NOTES. H.M. Coastguard. ; VALUABLE help in the ‘‘ watching” and protection of birds on the coast of the United Kingdom may be con- fidently anticipated from H.M. Coastguard, the Lords of the Admiralty having approved a request from the Society that this important body should co-operate in carrying out the provisions of the Wild Birds’ Protection Acts. The Admiral Superintendent of Naval Reserves has sent an official notice on the subject to the District Captains and Divisional Officers ; and at the Admiralty’s request the Society has supplied papers of instructions, including Summaries of the Acts, showing the County Council Orders in force in the various counties, and also the Acts and Orders, edited by Mr. F. E. Lemon. The Society has been in communication with the 81 Divisional Officers, and upon their application have furnished to every one of the 728 Coast Guard Stations situated round Great Britain and Ireland sets of papers containing detailed information concerning the Orders in force in the various districts. Egg Lifting in Scotland. THIS spring information reached the Society that attempts were again te be made in the North of Scotland to take the eggs of ceitain rare birds, notwithstanding the Orders of prohibition. These plans have, it is hoped, in some cases been frustrated by the appointment of Watchers and the co-operation of landowners and their factors; among others, the Duke of Sutherland has interested himself in the matter. Sparrow Clubs. THE Board of Agriculture has issued a leaflet on the House Sparrow, in which it recommends the formation of Sparrow Clubs throughout the country. Piecemeal efforts are regarded as ineffectual; ‘‘it is of little value to kill the sparrows in one locality if they are allowed to multiply in surrounding parishes.” The circular states that, ‘‘ In all cases great care must be exercised to prevent other birds suffering along with the sparrows”; and again, ‘‘ Anything like indiscriminate destruction of small birds in general should be strenuously avoided, the object being merely to reduce the numbers of the house-sparrow. Every encouragement should. be given to the protection of all cther small birds, unless there are obvious reasons for including other species in the black list.” Unfortu- nately the Board omits to state how the average peasant and village boy are to be taught to know or care what small birds they destroy, especially when encouraged by the hope of club prizes. No systematic instruction in practical ornithology has yet been introduced into country schools through which the characteristics and habits of birds and the great utility of many species may be learnt ; and anyone acquainted with country life knows how little knowledge there is among the people on this BIRD NOTES subject and how very strong are the prejudices and sus- picions regarding every bird that comes ints field or garden. The ‘‘ obvious reasons” discovered by Sparrow Club members would, we fear, threaten a majority of our commoner species. The Board of Education should surely go hand in hand with the Board of Agriculture if linnets, hedge-sparrows, tits, buntings, hen chaffinches, fly-catchers, and other species are not to be decimated either intentionally or ignorantly ; otherwise the last state of the farmer may be worse than the first. Goring League. WHEN the County Councils have the reins of education firmly in hand it may. be hoped that they will do some- thing definite towards the development of Nature Study in schools and the establishment of Bird and Tree Day in this country, since the need of educating village children to see and understand the beauty and value of birdlife is being more and more widely recognized. Meanwhile much may be effected by local efforts, such as the Goring League for the Protection of Birds, which is affiliated with the Society for the Protection of Birds. The League's desire is not only to enlist the sympathy of children on behalf of birds, but also to teach them the laws on bird protection. Lessons on the subject are given in Goring National School and Alnut’s Foundation School, with the consent of the authorities, and prizes will be awarded for the best papers written by the chil- dren. The hon. treasurer is Captain Towse, V.C., and the hon. secretary Miss Leigh. Army and Navy Siores. THE Society’s attention was called early in the year to the advertisement in the Army and Navy Stores catalogue of small-bird traps, pole traps, and bird-lime. A letter was accordingly sent to the manager protesting against the sale of these things by the Association, and several members of the Committee took the matter up en- ergetically. It is satisfactory to know that as a result both traps and lime have been withdrawn from the Stores list. Possibly other members of the Society holding shares in large business concerns might take similar steps with regard to the sale at these places of ‘* murderous millinery ” and bogus artificial ospreys. County Council Orders. BURTON-UPON-TRENT has obtained an Order dated April 8th, 1903. [B.C.E.F.S.] The Middlesex Order has been renewed, with some additions ; dated June 4th, 1903. [B.C.E.F.S.] THE SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF BIRDs has an exhibit of leaflets, etc., at the Greater Cork International Exhibition, now open; and Mr. J. L. Copeman is arranging also to show a selection of lantern slides to illustrate Nature Study Lectures. AND NEWS. 3 BIRD PROTECTION IN THE WEST INDIES. ‘*THE Agricultural News,” the review of the Imperial Department of Agriculture for the West Indies, published at Barbados, devotes a leading article in its issue of March 14th to the protection of birds. ** It is questionable,” says the writer, ‘‘ whether any single crop could be grown at all if birds were to be exterminated, and no other check [on insect life] sub- stituted. Daily we can see the influence of birds in field and garden, and it should be the duty of all connected with agriculture to encourage bird life in every way.... ‘Wild Birds Protection Ordinances’ have been adopted in most colonies with the view of checking the destructive tendency of the average peasant and small boy. There should be such an ordinance in every colony, and though there are ordinances existing in many parts of the West Indies, they are either not enforced, or are not sufficiently comprehensive. Cultivation in some colonies has absorbed a large proportion of the land, rendering life harder for the majority of birds. In others it is yearly spreading, and thus robbing the birds of their wild haunts and natural homes. There is, therefore, the more urgent reason for giving every assistance to birds, for not only is their natural habitat becoming every day smaller, but the area of cultivation in which their services are required to guard the crops from insect attacks has steadily increased. ‘We are convinced that every colony should have, and should rigidly enforce, a ‘Wild Birds Protection Ordinance.’ This should be drafted on comprehensive lines, not allowing sporting interests to outweigh the needs of agriculture; and every bird which, either directly or indirectly, assists in insect destruction, should be included, not only in a close season, but in absolute protection, making its destruction a punishable offence. This should be a part of the permanent policy of all agricultural communities, and we hope that in the West Indies, the force of public opinion will be steadily enlisted and directed to this end.” PLOVERS’ EGGS. IN the article on agriculture in the 7zmes of March 30th, 1903, the following occurs :—‘‘ The annual raid upon the eggs of the plover is again in progress ; and year by year this most useful bird, second to none as a farmers’ friend, is becoming less and less abundant in its familiar haunts, with the result that the insect and other pests upon which the plover feeds increase to the detriment of the crops and garden. The prices which the eggs realise, particularly at the outset, are too great a temptation to farm hands ; and, smart though the birds are in decoying the pilferer from their eggs lying upon the bare ground, the number taken every spring is nevertheless very large. The taking of plovers’ eggs is not illegal in England ; and hence it is that the worst enemy of the wireworm, as the plover is well known to be, is diminishing in numbers.” [County Councils have it in their power to protect the eggs of the plover, and this is done in several counties, z.€.,1n Hampshire, Lancashire and Northumberland after May Ist, as well as throughout Scotland after April 15th. The Settle and District Farmers’ Association is endeavour- ing to obtain protection for the eggs after May Ist. In reply to its appeal, the Clerk of the West Riding County Council wrote that his Council had on several occasions brought the question to the notice of the Home Secretary, but had been informed ‘‘that he has not sufficient evidence that such birds are materially interfered with to the extent of being exterminated.” 4 BIRD NOTES AND NEWS. NEWS FROM BRANCHES. A MOST successful meeting was held at the Belfast Museum, on April Ist, to inaugurate a Belfast Branch of the Society, started through the efforts of Miss Ethel Magee, of Malone Park. Mr. W. H. Paterson, M.R.I.A., presided, and moved, “ That this meeting, heing convinced of the inhumanity practised upon millions of birds in order to obtain their feathers for millinery purposes, and being also anxious to check the destruction of our own wild birds by wanton shooting and bird-nesting, is of opinion that a branch of the Society for the Pro- tection of Birds should be formed in Belfast.” They could not, he said, extend their hand to Florida to prevent the destruction of the beautiful little egrets, nor to the Straits Settlements, or to Australia, to save the birds from destruction ; but they could discourage the demand, and, when the demand ceased, the destruction of the birds would cease also. It was a matter for every lady to think out for herself, and in Belfast he believed the ladies had thought it out pretty well. The resolution was carried unanimously ; and an influential Committee has since been appointed as follows :—President, The Countess of Shaftesbury ; Vice-Presidents, Lady Dunleath, Lady Henderson, Lady Patterson, Mrs. Allan (Stormount), the Lord Bishop of Down and Connor and Dromore, the Ven. Archdeacon Bristow, and Mr. W. H. Patter- son, M.R.I.A.; Committee, Mrs. John Bristow, Mrs. Dunkerley, Mrs. Fennell, Mrs. Robert Patter- son, Mrs. Porter, Mrs. Purves, Mrs. Alex. Wilson, Miss Bruce, Miss Bristow, Miss Connor (Bangor), Miss Despard, Miss Kidd, Miss Eva Pim, Miss Praeger ; Rev. W. H. Dundas, B.D.; Mr. Robert Patterson, Mr. Crossley Patterson ; Hon. Treasurer, Mr. Egmont Praeger ; Hon. Secretary, Miss Ethel E. Magee. SOME twenty of the leading millinery firms in Southport co-operated in the show of plumeless millimery arranged: jby the Jhon. sec. ol aie Southport branch, Mrs. Edwin Walker ; and for two days in April their shop windows were filled witha brilliant display of spring millinery trimmed, as the card shown in each establishment pro- claimed, “‘ without destruction of bird hfe.” The show attracted much attention and admiration. The annual meeting of the branch was held on June 17th. THE Hon. Secretaryship of the Lostwithiel Branch has been kindly undertaken by Mrs. Hony. LECTURES, 1903. LECTURES, illustrated by the Society’s slides, have been given as follows since the issue of No. 1 of NOTES AND NEWS :— March 27th, Ewhurst, Rev. A. Clark Kennedy ; March 30th, Westerham, Mrs. Nelson ; April 1st, Malvern Wells, Mr. A. H. Stable; April 2nd and 3rd, Havant, Mr. Beeston ; April 2nd, Winchester, Miss Williams; April 14th, Royal Victoria Hall, S.W., Sir John Cockburn; April 15th, Glasson, Rev. C. Golland; April 21st, Wickham, Miss Farquhar; May 15th, Hampstead Scientific Society, Mr. B. Martin; May 18th, Cable Street, E., Rev. C. Hinscliff ; May 29th, Grayshott, Miss Hart-Davis ; June 15th, Haileybury,)Mr. Kennedy. — IN THE COURTS. THE Barnard Castle Bench on April 29th imposed a fine of Is. each and costs on two egg collectors, Charles Milburn, of Middlesbrough, and Claude Braithwaite, of Seaton Carew, for taking tawny owl’s eggs in Flatts Wood, on the Durham side of the River Tees. The accused explained that they came to the place especially for the eggs, having been told by a certain solicitor where to find the nest. They thought they were on the Yorkshire side. (York- shire would do well to take the hint and protect owls’ eggs. The North Riding Order is a most inadequate one.) The Leeds stipendiary magistrate gave judgment on April 20th in a case in which Mrs. Mary E. Richardson was charged under the Wild Animals in Captivity Act with causing unnecessary suffering to a parrot by leaving it without food for a number of days. The defendant, going from home for a holiday, placed in the cage a quantity of seed, which, if given in daily portions, would have been enough to last the whole period, but given in this way was exhausted in a few days, and the bird would probably have died but for the intervention of an inspector of the R.S.P.C.A. As there was no intentional cruelty, and defendant was greatly distressed by the result of her thoughtlessness, she was only directed to pay the costs of the prosecution. A worse case was heard at Belper on May 14th. Walter Selby, a miner, left in his house four wild birds caged, while away for a fortnight, and a policeman getting in at a window found three starved to death and the fourth only just alive. Fined 5s. and 19s. costs. PICTURE POSTCARDS. Now ready, in packets of one dozen (four assorted designs), Is.a packet. Single card 13d., post free. No. 1. The Magic Circle. No. 3. The Birds’ Pillar Box. No. 2. Woodland Notes. No. 4. At My Window. *€ Quaint and original.” —Cowrst Fournal, ““WVery dainty.” —Birminsham Post. “Will be welcomed by lovers of birds, Guardia. Published by the Society for the Protection of Birds, 3, Hanover Square, W. ” —_ Notts Next Issue.—Arrangements are being made for the issue of a Double Number of Birp NoTres AND News, to be ready on October Ist. SUBSCRIPTION. Birp Notes AND NEws will be sent post free to any address for Is. per annum, payable in advance. To Associates of the Society subscribing 5s. and upwards per annum it will be forwarded gratis and post free. Printed by WirHEerby & Co., 326, High Holborn, W.C., and published by the Socrrery For THE PROTECTION OF Bes, as Hanover Square, London, W., of w hom. copies may be obtained, price 2d. each, sIRD NOTES e S&S E W 8 @ cular Wetter issued WYeriodically bo the Society for Protection of Birds. CONTENTS. Bird Protection in India. \\- ny ‘i \\ | \ th g —— ae “ : Sra Muirburn. Bird Protection in Winter. Eegg-collecting by Schoolboys. The Pole-Trap. Preservation of Woodcock. Bird Protection in Egypt. The Law and the Collector. Notes—News from Abroad. Birds released in London. Prosecutions. Rooks versus Grubs. Nature Study. News from Branches. Bird Shelters. In the Courts. Winter Millinery. Lecture Season, 1903-4. No. 3._OCTOBER, 1908. LONDON, 3, HANOVER SQUARE, W. BIRD PROTECTION IN WINTER. TATUTORY Close Time for wild birds ends on the Ist day of August. A con- siderable number of counties have pro- longed the period to the Ist day of September, the earlier date being far too early for the proper protection of late-breeding species. In Ireland and Wales, in a few exceptional cases, the season ex- tends a little longer still ; but by October Ist the Close Time has everywhere come to an end, with the solitary exception of Gloucestershire, where the Woodpecker, Short-eared Owl, Hoopoe, and Redpoll are guarded until November Ist. There remain two methods by which bird pro- tection may in Great Britain be continued through the winter months. Under the Act of 1896 (which does not apply to Ireland), County Council Orders may prohibit the killing or taking of particular kinds of wild birds during the whole or any part of the year to which close time does not extend, and also the killing or taking of all wild birds in particular places within that period. The latter clause admits of the formation of bird sanctuaries, where all the year protection can be established for all birds within a defined and limited area, and also of the provision, more commonly adopted, prohibiting all shooting and netting of birds on Sundays in specified districts (which can be made to comprise an entire County Council area). The former clause is generally utilised for the protection during the whole of the open time—thus practically affording protection all the year—of those birds which it is especially desirable to preserve on account of their utility, rarity, or beauty. The “further” or all-the-year protection clause forms a part of the Orders of thirty-one counties and nine county boroughs in England and Wales and of all the Orders in force in Scotland. Of the 376 birds on the British Ornithologists’ Union list of British species no fewer than 150 are given this winter protection in the Order for some part or other of Great Britain. To ascertain which of them are most widely selected we may take those species which are on the lists of ten or more coun- ties of England and Wales. These number 26 and are as follow :— Goldfinch, protected throughout the year in 31 counties ; Kingfisher, 29 ; Owls, 24 ; Woodpeckers, 22; Buzzard, 18 ; Goldcrest, Nightjar, 16; Wren, Honey Buzzard, Bittern, 15 ; Swallow, 14 ; House- Martin, Kestrel, Osprey, 13; Bearded Tit, Sand- Martin, Pied Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Yellow Wag- tail, Hobby, Merlin, Great Crested Grebe, 12; Wheatear, Nightingale, 11 ; Linnet, Hoopoe, Io. It will be seen that of these 26 birds, ten are migrants, in whose case “all the year” means merely the addition of a month or two’s protection between the end of the close time and their departure from our shores. Five are vanishing species, which cultivation or the collector have driven to the confines of extinction. Nine out of the 26 are species scheduled by the Act for protection from owners and occupiers as well as from the general public throughout the kingdom, and these may be accordingly considered the most fully protected birds in England—the Goldfinch, Nightjar, Woodpecker, Kingfisher, Hoopoe, Owl, Bittern, and Grebe. None of these may be killed or taken by any person at any time of the year, in the number of counties respectively given above. 10 BIRD NOTES Other birds protected throughout the twelve- month in a lesser number of English counties, but in more than six in each case, include the Robin, Nuthatch, Whinchat, Stonechat, Redstart, Chiff- chaff and other warblers, Flycatchers, Siskin, Crossbill, Reed and Cirl Buntings, Woodlark, Swift, Wryneck, Chough, Kite, Cuckoo, Oriole, Spoonbill, Stone-Curlew, and Kittiwake. Of this list again a considerable proportion are migrants who do not remain with us to enjoy the protec- tion accorded them in winter. This winter protection is, in the case of resident birds, one of the most valuable features of the Acts. By its means alone can any bird be preserved from the clutches of the bird-catcher and the collector during all the months from August or September to February. It is, therefore, of great importance that our decreasing and rare birds, even though they may be but occasional visitors to a county, and also those species persecuted for the cage-bird trade, should be thus preserved from destruction ; and such a clause, containing a carefully-compiled list of species, ought to form part of every County Council Order. Sunday protection, which is of invaluable service in districts infested by the bird-catcher and the week-end “sportsman,” is in force in seventeen counties and nine county boroughs. There seems no adequate reason why it should not be adopted throughout the country. THE POLE-TRAP. A BILL for the suppression of the pole-trap was introduced into the House of Commons by Mr. Sydney Buxton on July 28th, 1903, and read a first time. Its object is to render illegal the use of the pole-trap, a steel spring-trap with teeth, generally fastened by achain to the top of a pole in a clearing of a wood ; and it provides that ‘‘ From and after the passing of this Act every person who, on any pole, tree, wall, fence, or other position elevated from the ground, shall affix, place, or set any spring, trap, gin, or other similar instrument calculated to inflict bodily injury to any wild bird coming in contact therewith, and every person who shall knowingly permit or suffer or cause any such trap to be so affixed, placed, or set, shall be guilty of an offence, and shall be liable on summary conviction to a penalty not exceeding forty shillings, and for a second or subsequent offence to a penalty not exceeding five pounds.” The Bill is backed by Sir John Stirling Maxwell, Sir Robert Reid, K.C., Sir Edward Grey, and Colonel Lockwood. For many years the Society for the Protection of Birds, and indeed all bird lovers and humanitarians, AND NEWS. have unreservedly condemned the use of this instru- ment of torture and destruction, and have steadily worked for its abolition. For years it has been the subject of denunciatory letters and articles in the daily and weekly newspapers, and an Appeal to Landowners, issued by the Society in 1898, showed how widely was its use condemned by game pre- servers themselves, while a more recent enquiry elicited the fact that it is not employed on the Sandringham estate. Forming a tempting and conspicuous perch, the pole-trap lures all the larger birds to pause in their flight, and then, catching them by the legs in the teeth of the gin, compels them to flutter out their life, hanging head down- ward, in agony for hours or even days. Owls, hawks, cuckoos, nightjars, jays, woodpeckers, and inoffensive song birds are alike the victims of this detestable device ; and its use has formed, in the words of Sir Herbert Maxwell, “ one of the scandals of game preserving.” Moreover, the law protecting scheduled birds is thus, to a great extent, set at naught. As many of these traps are set up without the authority of the landowner, and sometimes in direct opposition to his orders, this Society has for some years written to every owner of property on whose estate such traps were known to be in use. All correspondents who can give the name and address of owners of land on which a pole-trap is erected, are urgently desired to communicate with the Hon. Secretary of the Society, in order that an appeal for its discontinuance may be made to those in authority. “It is to be hoped” (to quote the Field of August 8th) “that before the advent of another shooting season game preservers all over the country will be justified in forbidding its employ- ment as illegal.” BIRD PROTECTION IN EGYPT. A PARAGRAPH having appeared in several of the daily papers in May last stating that the Egyptian Government let out tracts of land near the seashore to professional birdcatchers, who were thus enabled to catch thousands of small birds by means of bird- lime, the Society for the Protection of Birds com- municated with His Excellency Viscount Cromer. In reply, Lord Cromer writes that the statement is absolutely untrue, and adds :— “The question of protecting insectivorous birds has been frequently under consideration in Egypt. The difficulties in dealing with the subject are unfortunately considerable. They arise, broadly speaking, from the rights conferred on Europeans by the Capitulations. No very effective legislation in this, or in cognate matters, is possible without the unanimous consent of all the Powers of Europe, and experience has shown that unanimity, when any legislative measure is proposed, can rarely be obtained. BIRD NOTES AND NEWS. 1} Within certain very narrow limits, however, the Egyptian Government can legislate for all the inhabitants of Egypt, with the assent of the General Assembly of the Mixed Courts. I have the honour to enclose a draft Khedivial Decree, which is now under the consideration of the General Assembly, and which will, I trust, shortly become law. I do not say that this measure goes as far as could be wished, but it will, I hope, do some good. After consultation with the various authorities concerned, it was thought that, for the present at all events, any more ambitious legislation would not, in all probability, be operative in practice. ‘