24 



BIRD NOTES AND NEWS. 



slaying of the larks, of the chaffinches, of the gold- 

 finches, of the greenfinches was equal to the loss of 

 hundreds of individuals, inasmuch as these birds 

 were fathers and mothers who had in their nests 

 little ones who would die of cold and hunger in 

 consequence of their parents' death ; that the 

 slaying of the swallows was a real crime, and, 

 observe, a crime committed only at the impulse o] 

 a brutal malevoleiice inasmuch as swallows are not 

 good to eat. But he, the false Nimrod, replied to 

 us that when he had a gun and cartridges he shot 

 everything on the banks of the Arno, and of the 

 other rivers in our plains, as far as the Campo di 

 Marto, and that on the hills and on the mountains 

 everybody shot everything, aquatic or non-aquatic 

 creatures. Indeed, he repeated to us, " If I do not 

 shoot, others do and the destruction occurs just the 

 same." 



Now, I ask, is the old game law still in force or 

 not ? The authorities ought to pay attention to 

 this question for it seriously and directly affects the 

 welfare of Agriculture, of Hygiene, and of public 

 alimentation. 



The " Pro Avibus " distributes prizes, the Hon. 

 Callaini interrogates the minister to ask if he in- 

 tends to introduce a law which has been demanded 

 for fifty years, and which never comes ; the Cava- 

 liere Pietro Gori writes articles, exerts himself in 

 giving lectures ; in short he has, for years, waged a 

 holy war on behalf of agriculture, of sport, of the 

 market, of everything ; and to what end ? 



The " Pro Avibus," the Hon. Callaini, the Cav. 

 Gori, and all the other volunteers will be able to do 

 very little if the authorities, Senate and Parliament 

 first of all, and all Italians will not earnestly deter- 

 mine to extirpate this plague that threatens gan- 

 grene. These are the sentiments of your old 

 subscriber, V.T. 



IN THE COURTS. 



Wounded rooks as scarecrows. — A farmer 

 and two of his men were fined 2s. 6d. each and 

 costs at Houghton-le-Spring (Durham) for cruelty 

 to a rook on March 18th. The bird's wing had 

 been broken by a gunshot, and it was then fastened 

 to a stake in a field with the intention of keeping 

 off other rooks. — A similar case was heard at 

 Cabinteely (Dublin) on March 28th, when a 

 cottager was summoned for cruelly ill-treating a 

 wounded crow by tying it out in a field for the 

 purpose of scaring away others. Unfortunately 

 this case was brought under the ordinary Cruelty 

 to Animals Act, instead of the Wild Animals in 

 Captivity Act, and the magistrates took the view 

 that not being a domestic animal the rook could 

 claim no protection. 



Cruelty to Decoys.— At Romford on March 

 22nd Henry Thurley was fined 6s. for cruelty to a 

 decoy chaffinch and redpoll. The birds were 

 braced with string, which cut their sides, and were 

 jerked into the air by the pulling of a cord. [This 

 conviction was under the old Act, 12 and 13 Vict., 

 c. 92.] 



Birdcatching.— At Sparkhill, Birmingham, on 

 April 30th, John Evans was summoned for having 

 twenty-six wild birds in his possession, together 



with decoy implements, nets, and a cage. The 

 birds were nineteen linnets, four greenfinches, 

 thrush, and sparrows. Being a first offence he 

 was let off with a warning, the birds to be set free 

 and the implements destroyed. — James Bright, of 

 Peckham, summoned at Woolwich for having 

 newly-taken linnets and decoys in his possession 

 on April 26th, was fined 5s. and costs for using a 

 net, 2s. costs for possession of the birds, and 20s. 

 for cruelty to decoys, the nets and birds to be 

 forfeited. — At Lowestoft, on May 23rd, two Yar- 

 mouth men were fined 2s. 6d. each for using lime 

 to take chaffinches. When asked by the police 

 what his box contained, one of them answered 

 "Jewellery," but in Court they pleaded ignorance 

 of the law. 



The Royal Society for the Protection 

 of Birds, 



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NEW LEAFLETS. 

 No. 56. — The Queen and 'Osprey" Plumes. 

 Text of the Society's memorial to Queen Alexandra, 

 and Her Majesty's reply. Price is. per 100. Special 

 edition, 6d. per doz. 



Ix Preparation. 



By John Carey. 



Bird-Catching and Bird-Caging. 



Illustrated. 



The Society and Its Work. 



Notes and News. 



Reprinted from Bird 



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