216 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



The Fame Islands show the value of protection. For there 

 is no doubt, that, if it were not for the exertions of the 

 Association of Ornithologists and others who lease the Fame 

 Islands, these interesting bird nurseries would have been 

 destroyed long ago. 



Then again the Lapwing ( Vanellns vulgaris) is fast 

 disappearing, nor is the reason far to seek. A correspondent 

 the " Scotsman," 19th August 1892, recently pointed out that 

 in East Forfarshire it is the custom in the nesting season to 

 pay boys 2s. per dozen for their eggs, for which 12s. 6d. is paid 

 to their employers by London dealers, and that no less than 

 fifty dozen are sent off at a time. And Mr. W. G. T. Watt, 

 of Skaill House, Stromness, — in moving at a County Council 

 meeting, held on the 1 1 th of May, that a memorial be 

 prepared and sent to Lord Lothian asking him to introduce 

 a Bill empowering County Councils to make rules and 

 regulations for the protection of wild birds' eggs, — said that 

 many would remember about twenty years ago how the sky 

 was frequently darkened by Lapwings, while now scarcely 

 one could be seen. The bird was most useful to farmers, 

 and grubs had increased immensely since the Lapwing got 

 scarce. He attributed its scarcity to the fact that the eggs 

 were gathered in thousands and tens of thousands and sent 

 to London, Edinburgh, and Glasgow. Whilst acknowledging 

 that some of the eggs came from Holland, he contended 

 that many were gathered in England and the Lowlands of 

 Scotland. 



In addition to these individual species, the systematic 

 sweeping of every egg of every bird from certain parts of 

 Scotland should be instanced. The plan adopted is this. 

 A dealer from a distance employs a local man to send him 

 every egg he can procure. For these he gives half the prices 

 quoted in the published lists. The local man employs all 

 the " herdie '' boys of the district to lay hands on every egg 

 which comes within reach, and for these they receive is. 

 a dozen. In 1890 one man sent one hundred and fifty 

 dozen eggs collected in this manner from Stromness. By 

 such an organised system are whole districts depleted. 



It is the opinion of several Scottish ornithologists that 

 if the Access to Mountains Bill is passed, it will greatly 



