214 



OUR DEFICIT. 



To THE Membe:rs of the Foreign Bird Ci,ub. 



It must be a matter of grave concern to all loyal 

 members of tlie Club that the Balance Sheet, presented 

 in the June issue, giving the accounts to the end of 

 April last, shewed a deficit of over Seven Pounds. Our 

 membership during the year covered by this figure was 

 very small, and has not increased to any appreciable 

 extent since. This being the case, it devolves upon our- 

 selves to find some method wherebj'' this adverse balance 

 can be wiped off, and the membership largely increased, 

 for it is principally on this latter that the welfare of the 

 Club depends. There are several ways in which we can 

 place the Club on a sound financial basis again. One is 

 by a general subscription to a special fund for the pur- 

 pose of liquidating the deficit. As this, however, is 

 only another method of raising the yearly subscription 

 it is not to be recommended. 



An alternative method and one which, with the 

 hearty co-operation of our members, I am walling to try 

 and carry to a successful conclusion, is as follows. Most, 

 indeed I think I may say each, of us could spare one 

 bird, or perhaps a pair, from our aviaries. I propose 

 that we offer one bird, or a pair, to the Club, and that 

 they should be sold to the highest bidder, the money 

 received going to wipe off our deficit. And this might 

 be the fnodus operandi. Will each member, after reading 

 these lines, and appreciating the object for which they 

 are written, sit down and write to me offering whichever 

 bird or birds he can spare } From these offers I should 

 prepare a list giving the names of the species and their 

 donors: this would be published in our next issue, and 

 no doubt most of us would readilv make offers for 



