INTRODUCTION. 13 



tions, the taking of certain rare species for scientific purposes, 

 that is, for the national or other authorised museums, but not 

 giving freedom to any museum "to act without permission. 



A perfectly justifiable criticism of any such schedule, giving 

 permission to kill or capture certain species, is that a family or 

 group English name, the only one which would be understood 

 by the public, embraces several species and that the innocent 

 might suffer with the guilty. This is of less moment when the 

 bird scheduled is to be protected, for after all the Act is framed 

 to protect and not to give license to destroy. Crow, covering 

 Carrion and Hooded Crows, does not matter, but Sparrow takes 

 protection from the innocent Tree-Sparrow and even from the 

 Hedge-Sparrow and Reed-Bunting. A collector who shot a 

 Rose-coloured Pastor would argue that it was a Starling, and 

 many of our rarest visitors might be destroyed under the name 

 Thrush. 



Furthermore, the Bill fails to meet the difficulties! of dealing 

 with offences on private ground. Only by the institution of 

 some system of watchers or plain-clothed police patrols is it 

 possible to meet this difficulty ; on the reserves privately 

 supported watchers have done valuable protective work. 



It must, however, be remembered that bird protection can 

 never be accomplished by legislation alone, however much this 

 may aid. Legislation to be effective requires public sympathy, 

 and it is the public sympathy, such as it is, which has saved the 

 bird so far and will, it is to be hoped, continue to give it 

 security. The friends of birds have many antagonists, and 

 some of these require reforming rather than restraint. The 

 collector, often unconsciously selfish, is a menace to the rarer 

 species ; he is often anxious to preserve birds, except the few 

 specimens he wants for himself, and he fails to realise that he is 

 one of many who wish to secure a specimen before it is too late. 

 Public collections are necessary for education, some private 

 collecting is as necessary if we are to have any scientific work, 



