324 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



violating the provisions of this Act is stated at fifty dollars for 

 each offence, and it may be presumed that the exemption in favour 

 of naturalists desirous of studying their habits or history and 

 having them jireserved as cabinet specimens, will commend itself 

 to the most fastidious collector. Such an Act, if applied to our 

 own country, would operate favourably in many ways, and lead 

 to a restoration of bird life that would prove welcome not only to 

 students of nature but to those very persons who, under a mistaken 

 prejudice, are at this moment its worst enemies. 



Waiving this digression, however, we think that, in common 

 fairness, to adduce no stronger argument, birds of all kinds 

 should have a "close time" during the season of incubation. It 

 is not right that any class of creatures should be killed when 

 brooding on their eggs, or exposing themselves to danger in the 

 protection of their defenceless young. In the case of birds 

 esjiecially, many species wholly throw aside their usual wariness 

 at such a season; and as regards isolated places like Ailsa Craig, 

 exposed as they are to the plundering visits of heartless pleasure 

 seekers, no one, we think, will ever call in question the wisdom or 

 humanity of providing for their future protection. 



