^"lols"'! ^^^^ Protection in the Old World. 1 29 



effective than that resulting from an enh'ghtenment of the people. 

 After further discussion by other eminent savants the president 

 requested the following gentlemen — namely. Messrs. Tschudi 

 (Switzerland), Marenzeller (Austria), Brehm (Germany), Blomeyer 

 (Germany), Settegast (Germany), and Middendorff (Russia) — to 

 form a committee with a view to bring into line the various pro- 

 posals. The committee reduced the recommendations to seven. 

 The Congress of Agriculturists and Foresters then formally moved 

 that the Imperial Austrian Government be requested to secure 

 the protection of birds useful to agriculture by means of treaties 

 to be made with the other European States on the said seven 

 points of recommendation. Both the Imperial Austrian 

 Minister of Agriculture and the Royal Hungarian Minister of 

 Agriculture found that the seven clauses were a suitable basis 

 for international convention or negotiation. But there was 

 already a written agreement existing between Austria and Italy. 

 (See previous.) 



In course of time Count Gyula Andrassy became Austro- 

 Hungarian Foreign Minister, and before inviting the States of 

 Europe to consider the seven points of recommendation, the 

 Count attempted, in 1875, to arrive at an amended agreement 

 with Italy, a country which, by reason of its geographical 

 position and the deep-rooted custom of its people, was of first 

 importance. This wise move was entirely successful. A new 

 "declaration," with "protocol" attached, was formally signed 

 by Count Aridrassy on behalf of the Austrian Monarchies, at 

 Budapest, 5th November, 1875, and by Visconti Venosta on 

 behalf of the Government of Italy, at Rome, 29th November the 

 same year, the stipulations being as follow : — 



1. The Governments of the two parties to this contract bind themselves to 

 create, through their respective Parliaments, strict and comprehensive legisla- 

 tion with a \iew to securing the pintection of birds useful to agriculture, at 

 any rate within the limits prescribed by the following clauses. 



2. The destruction of nests and lairs, the taking of eggs, the fowling of 

 small birds shall be absolutely forbidden. At the same time it is in general 

 forbidden to sell nests, eggs, and nestlings procured in defiance of the 

 prohibition. 



3. Further, the prohibition of the following acts is declared : — 



(a) The catching or killing of birds at night with bird-lime, nets, 

 guns, or other weapons. Xight is the period between one hour after sunset 

 and one hour before sunrise. 



{d) The catchinj^ or killing of birds so long as the ground is snow- 

 covered. 



{c) The catching of birds on river banks, at springs, or on the banks 

 of lakes, in times of drought. 



{(i) The catching of birds by the strewing of seeds mixed with narcotics or 

 poisons, or with other baits. 



{e) The catching of birds with nooses, nets, or any other implements used 

 on the surface of the ground, such as traps, snares, the Dalmatian " plocke ■■ 

 or the " lanciaxera " used for snaring larks. 



