256 Wild Bird Guests 



we cannot do better than to follow the plan 

 carried out by the Royal Society for the Protec- 

 tion of Birds at St. Catherine's, Isle of Wight, 

 and at several other lighthouses on the English 

 coast. It seems that the birds do not, as a rule, 

 kill themselves by dashing against the lighthouse 

 as was at first supposed, but by fluttering about 

 it until they fall to the ground from sheer exhaus- 

 tion. It has been found that if "bird-rests" or 

 perches are arranged above and below the light 

 as pictured here, the fluttering birds will find 

 them, perch on them until morning, and then 

 go on their way unharmed. The chief drawback 

 seems to be the expense of installing the bird- 

 rests, but with the vast number of friends which 

 the birds now have in this country, this expense 

 could hardly be prohibitive. 



Market Gunning and Plume Hunting 



As for market gunning and plume hunting, 

 they are in many places already things of the 

 past. Where they still exist, the writer believes 

 that they should be done away with at once as 

 professions detrimental to the best interests of 

 the people. The men engaged in these pursuits 

 often have valuable knowledge of the birds and 

 their habits, and this knowledge may sometimes 



