7S ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



very simple to those who have not fully considered it ; but 

 those who have seriously reflected upon it find it beset by 

 many complications, and very difficult of solution. Most 

 people, however, will admit that birds' eggs are much more 

 exposed to depredation in certain places than in others, and 

 this only at certain times. 



Proof of this, if wanted, is supplied by the fact that in 

 several parts of England private persons have formed small 

 local associations to pay watchers, during a few weeks in 

 the breeding time, for the protection of the birds frequenting 

 particular localities, such as the Fame Islands, the sand- 

 hills near Wells in Norfolk, Breydon Water between Norfolk 

 and Suffolk, which I mention because I myself subscribe to 

 them. It may be that there are others. 



To me one way of treating the question seems preferable 

 to any other that has been suggested, and indeed after many 

 years' consideration the only one practicable. This is to 

 give the local authority (County Council or Justices in 

 Quarter Sessions), subject to the assent of a central authority, 

 power to prohibit all egging in certain definite places for a 

 certain definite time. Such prohibition would probably be 

 confined to comparatively small bounds an island, a sea- 

 beach, cliffs or sandhills adjoining the shore, a heath, common, 

 wood, or forest, a public park, a mere or broad with the 

 surrounding land, or so on, and would be locally known, so 

 that the risk of boys being sent to gaol would be greatly 

 lessened. Moreover, all egging being prohibited within the 

 prescribed limits during the inhibited period, there would be 

 no need of attempting to prove that an egg found in the 

 captor's possession was that of a protected species, such 

 proof being in many, if not in most cases, as every practical 

 ornithologist knows, absolutely impossible, if the defendant 

 were advised by an ingenious counsel ; for, in the greater 

 number of cases, an egg could not be proved to be that of 

 any particular kind of bird, unless a witness could swear 

 that he saw the bird lay it. 



Egging may be considered to be carried on chiefly by 

 three classes of persons : 



First, there is the man who for years has gathered the 

 of Plovers and certain marsh- or sea-birds for edible 



