ON THE RETORT ON THE PROTECTION OF Wn.D BH'IDS 9 



They suggest that power be given to the central 

 authority on the application of the local authority to 

 extend or vary the close time, to add to or subtract from 

 schedules A and B either for a local area or for the whole 

 country, and to exempt certain destructive birds from all 

 protection. It is also suggested that the close time for 

 certain birds such as the Wild Duck and other birds shot 

 for food might end at an earlier date. This last proviso 

 may provoke some criticism, but in our opinion it is a very 

 wise one. It must be remembered that, whatever legislation 

 is ultimately adopted, the carrying out of the law is, to a 

 great extent, in the hands of the gamekeepers. It would 

 be very discouraging for them were the shooting of Duck, 

 etc., in August totally prohibited, as by September by far 

 the greater part of our home-bred birds have left their 

 nesting-places. Moreover, a valuable source of food-supply 

 would be lost to the country, and the healthy and legitimate 

 sport enjoyed by shore -shooters in August would be put an 

 end to entirely. We cannot help thinking that more harm 

 would be done to the cause which we all have at heart by 

 protecting these birds up to ist September than by ending 

 the close season for them on ist August, 



The schedules mentioned above are the followinsr : 



A. (To receive absolute protection during the breeding 

 season). Arctic or Richardson's skua, black-throated diver, 

 black-tailed godwit, capercaillie, dotterel, duck (all species), 

 eared grebe, fork-tailed petrel, goldfinch, great-crested grebe, 

 great skua, greenshank, grey lag-goose, hobby, kestrel, king- 

 fisher, marsh warbler, merlin, nightjar, nightingale, peregrine 

 falcon, pied flycatcher, quail, raven, rednecked phalarope, 

 red-throated diver, ringed plover, ruff and reeve, siskin, 

 Sclavonian-grebe, snipe, stone-curlew, swan, terns (all 

 species), water-rail, whimbrel, woodlark, woodpeckers (all 

 species), and wryneck. 



B. (To receive absolute protection all the year round). 

 Avocet, Baillon's crake, bearded reedling or bearded titmouse, 

 bittern, bustard, buzzard, chough, crested titmouse, Dartford 

 warbler, golden eagle, golden oriole, harriers (all species), 



97 AND 98 B 



