1902 The Establishment of an Ai'bor Day 169 



4. Railway embankments undoubtedly afford a good field 

 for tree-planting on an extended scale, but of course it is not 

 in the least to be expected that railway companies either 

 could, or would, consent to this being done systematically 

 on their land, even if the trees so planted became their pro- 

 perty, as they would naturally do. Still, if the plan proved 

 at all feasible, it would answer the purpose for which such 

 planting is intended well enough. Many birds by choice 

 frequent railway embankments and cuttings, owing perhaps 

 to the abundance of insects roused from their retreats by 

 the passage of trains past them. Moreover, birds would 

 be safer, and could nest more securely, where trespassers 

 are few. 



5. Lastly, of lands already available for our purpose, 

 there are the churchyards and cemeteries, " haunts of 

 ancient peace," and well suited to the requirements of 

 birds. But these, too, are in the hands of clergymen and 

 local bodies, whose tendency is to lop and mutilate rather 

 than to encourage the growth of trees. They would be very 

 unlikely to permit such lands to be systematically planted. 

 The cypresses in Turkish graveyards are famous for their 

 stately beauty, and no doubt harbour and nestle many of the 

 smaller birds. If anything could be done in this connection 

 to induce poor people to substitute shrubs and trees for those 

 hideous mockeries of sorrow — the glass shades with sham 

 flowers — that deface our lovely churchyards and degrade the 

 sacredness of grief, great would be the gain from the moral 

 and aesthetic as well as from the ornithological point of view. 



6. Besides the above-mentioned, the only way of obtaining 

 the necessary land is by direct permission from some owner, 

 who again would naturally reserve the right of property 

 in the trees planted. He would hardly give any consider- 

 able amount of land away to others in perpetuity. 



If an Arbor Day were established as a national observance, 

 no doubt the local authorities could, and would, be forced 

 to carry out the requisite duties in connection with it, and 

 so public lands and funds could be utilised. But it seems 

 hopeless to expect attention to such matters from our 

 overburdened Parliament. If then, failing this, private 

 bodies attempt to popularise such an observance, they 



