LXIII 



Rissa dactyla (Kittiwake) — e. g. — is protected in England, wliereas tiiis bird breeds 

 in millions on the bird-mountains in the arctic ocean. The protection in Enghuid is therefore 

 local. Yon endeavour to preserve the threatened species for England, you are therefore led 

 by ornithological interests, whereas continental protection is based upon usefulness and 

 harmfulness. English ornithologists do not therefore agree witii their Parliament and do not 

 lay stress upon internationality. 



Let this be an indication of the line t<i be followed in the appendix which 1 am 

 ready to send you for approbation before it is printed. 



As regards the word „degraded" on pag. 172, this is only an error of translation, 

 there ought to stand: „reduced to a mere gamelaw" which gives the sense of the Hunga- 

 rian word „avatja". 



Awaiting the favour of your reply, I beg to remain, 



Yfuirs sincerely 



0. H. 



11 May, 1907. 



My dear Sir, 



I have to thank you for your friendly reply of the 4"' inst. to my letter (of the 

 80"' April) and to assure you that you are at liberty to print this last. Historical facts are 

 not te be denied, and most certainly I have no wish that they should be ignored. 



It is unquestionable that we start from different points, but our aim is the same, and 

 I see no evil in that. When 1 brought the question of bird-protection before the scientific 

 world of my own country, the question of international action had not been raised, and to 

 have raised it would have added to oues difficulties, so I had no intention of raising it. 

 The United Kingdom was worse off than any other countries and even than many of our 

 own CV)lonies. The wanton destruction of lives around our courts was enormous — several 

 species had already been extirpated in many localities, if not altogether — and it was plain 

 to those who knew the facts that a very few years more would see them extinct so far 

 as this country is concerned. Much of this was due to agricultural improvement, but still 

 more to direct slaughter — augmented at that time (as since) by the fashion of wearing 

 „plumes" — for be it known that in this country the number of species of birds which as 

 „game" enjoyed the benefit of a „close time" was very small — practically the Oallinea only. 

 Clearly the first thing to be done was to extend the benefit of „close time" to the 

 chief sufferers, and this is what we did — moreover we did it effectually — the Rissa 

 tridactijla and the Alcidae which were shot by the hundred or the thousand at their 

 breeding cliffs on the coast i>f Yorkshire, the Isle of Wight, Dorsetshire and other places 

 — the death of almost each adult involving the death of its offspring — was at once 

 stepped, and the cliffs secured as a breeding ground for ever — though others not so fully 

 thronged, in other parts of the coast had already been desolated. 



It is to late to save Otis, Botaurus, Limosa, Recurvirostra, Platalea and in many 

 places Fregilus, but Podiceps (iristatus and Lestris catarrhactus were saved and several 

 species of Laridae (Sternidae) and Anatidae as well as Limicola, as indeed few birds 

 responded more readily to the protection they received, than the Anatidae. 



It certainly would have been impossible to have carried out any legislation on the 

 principle of protecting „useful" and not protesting „injurious" birds — for who ist to take 

 on himself the power of discriminating between them, and assuredly the people ot this 

 country would refuse to be dictated to by any „Gelehrte" or „Savant" on the subject. 



