364 



NATIONAL BRITISH BIRD AND 

 MULE CLUB. 



Committee Meeting held at Headquarters on th 

 5th February, 1903. 



Present : Mr. Robson (Chairman), Mr. Pollard 

 {Vice-Chairnian), Messrs. A. Plunibridge, Sandy, Vale, 

 Merrifield, Tolhurst, Dewhurst, Morgan, A. Jones, C. 

 Cooper, Maxwell, Frostick, and the Hon. Secretary and 

 friends. 



The minutes of the previous meeting were read and 

 confirmed. 



Letters were read from Mrs. Comyns Lewer, Miss 

 Craddock, and Mr. Carl. 



A Sub-Committee was formed to adjudicate upon the 

 best lecture or article sent in during the past year. The 

 winner to be announced in March "Bird Notes." 



A letter from I\Ir. Kershaw was referred to the 

 Annual General Meeting. 



In reference to the application from the Editress of 

 "The Feathered World," in re the Standards to be 

 published in the new edition of Bradburn's "British 

 Birds," Mr. Frostick proposed that permission be given 

 to publish such Standards as have been printed, upon 

 complying wutli a few conditions. (Carried). 



Mr. Tolhurst brought before the Committee a matter 

 which had appeared in the fancy press, and as to which 

 there had been no little controvers\', namely, the 

 question as to whether a Nuthatch is a soft- or a hard- 

 bill, Mr. Tolhurst taking it that it was quite time that 

 this Committee settled the matter for good, and that an 

 authoritative statement should be made in view of the 

 two recent decisions of Judges upon our list. The Com- 

 mittee unanimouslv decided that it is an insectivorous 



