BIRD NOTES AND NEWS. 



33 



time picturesqueness of the Rush-bearing, which is 

 still held in the village. He was not only an 

 admirable teacher, deeply interested in all that 

 concerned his scholars, but a man of wide know- 

 ledge, a skilled field botanist and ornithologist, 

 and possessed of a keen love for Nature and a 

 kindly feeling for all animals, which made him a 

 hearty sympathiser in the Society's cause. Those 

 who knew him and felt surprise that he should 

 elect to remain so long in the little Westmoreland 

 village, found the clue in his love for Westmore- 

 land moors and fens, and for Westmoreland birds 

 and flowers. The village lies, well-wooded, on the 

 banks of the rippling Eden, with its Dippers and 

 Moorhens, and within easy reach of the stern fells, 

 where Curlews call and the last of the English 

 Dotterels have their home. Since Christmas Mr. 

 Jackson had suffered from a heart-complaint re- 

 sulting from influenza. On Sunday, the 15th July, 

 he went for a walk, and was not again seen until he 

 was found on the 17th lying on the moor two miles 

 from home, in a state of collapse ; he died a few 

 hours later from exposure and syncope. It is sup- 

 posed that he was seized with a heart attack and 

 unable to reach home. Mr. Jackson was only forty- 

 nine years of age. 



increasingly scarce, but House-Martins and Swifts 

 happily hold their own. 



Birds and Fruit. 



The usual discussion on the subject of " Birds 

 and Fruit" has shared, with a variety of other stock 

 topics, the hospitable newspaper columns during 

 the holiday season. No very striking facts have 

 been adduced. The summer having been 

 excessively dry and hot it would not be remarkable 

 if the birds have made greater raids than usual on 

 moist food ; but fruit has certainly not been 

 rendered scarce or dear. One writer notes that 

 several of the shyer Warblers, that are rarely met 

 with except in hedgerow and woodland, have this 

 year come into the gardens for juicy caterpillars 

 and soft fruit. Of dry food, in the shape of flies and 

 gnats, there can have been no lack ; but the argu- 

 ment that the birds ought to leave fruit and grain 

 because there is a superabundance of flies, which 

 it is their duty to devour, is, unfortunately, not 

 based on knowledge. The majority of small birds 

 devour the grub rather than the perfect insect, and 

 this they do in spring when insects are in the grub 

 state, and nestlings are perpetually hungry. No 

 doubt they did their best in this way, but drought 

 and sun have since developed a larger proportion 

 of creatures than commonly escape destruction. 

 From some districts Swallows are reported to be 



"Sparrow" Clubs. 



A local "sparrow club" in the Battle District of 

 Kent records a total of 8,800 heads and tails as 

 the product of the season's slaughter. 



" In addition to moles, rats, and sparrows' eggs, 

 the list of birds against whom war is waged is as 

 follows : House-sparrow, Green Linnet, Chaffinch, 

 Starling, Yellowhammer, Lark, Tits, Thrush, 

 Blackbird, Rook, Woodpigeon, Jackdaw, Jay, 

 Magpie, Hawk, Bullfinch, and Hawfinch. Each 

 member failing to produce a hundred heads and 

 tails during a year is fined one shilling." 



Here once more we have the farmer wishing to 

 make a clean sweep of all small birds (who keep 

 down insects and weed-pests on the land) and at 

 the same time warring against the Jays, Magpies, 

 and Hawks, who are on his side, and, further, 

 destroy mice and young rats. 



Miss E. Richmond writes from Rockhampton, 

 Falfield :— 



" Could not all those belonging to the Society 

 ask their clergy or ministers for a sermon on cage- 

 birds, or the wearing of feathers, or, if possible, on 

 both subjects? Try and get a promise for a 

 definite day, supply him with literature from which 

 to get up the subject, and take care that the sermon 

 is reported in the local press. 



'• Secondly, could not all ladies belonging to the 

 Society give up wearing all feathers ? Several 

 things make this desirable. If we allow 'food' 

 feathers, we encourage the telling of innumerable 

 lies. The milliner is always ready to assure the 

 customer who shows qualms of conscience that the 

 wing torn from the Sea-gull is a Pigeon's ; and that 

 the trimming made of fragments of tropical birds is 

 composed of poultry feathers." 



THE AUDUBON SOCIETIES. 



The National Association of Audubon Societies of 

 the United States has received a legacy of 100,000 

 dols. under the will of Mr. Albert Willcox, and will 

 probably benefit to the extent of 500,000 dols. more 

 from the residuary estate, one-half of which is 

 bequeathed to the Association. 



California has been added to the list of 35 States 

 possessing Audubon Societies ; and it is character- 

 istic of American energy that on the very heels of 

 the earthquake and fire which devastated San 

 Francisco appeals on behalf of the work were 



