40 



BIRD NOTES AND NEWS. 



divisions, rural and urban districts, areas east or 

 west of railway lines, or of two or three hundred 

 parishes, do not make for the efficacy of the law 

 or ease the duties of the local police. When, 

 in addition to this initial difficulty, the resulting 

 juxtaposition of counties or parts of counties, and 

 of counties and the county boroughs within them, 

 theone withandtheotherwithout Sunday protection, 

 is realized, it is evident that the bird-catcher can 

 afford to laugh at a good deal of such " protection." 

 A short Act prohibiting the killing and taking of 

 wild birds on Sundays, as already is the law with 

 regard to game-birds, would, it has been suggested, 

 remedy this without interfering with the present 

 Acts. 



THE ROYAL SOCIETY FOR THE 

 PROTECTION OF BIRDS. 



AUTUMN CONFERENCE. 



Last year's gathering having proved successful 

 and encouraging, an Autumn Conference of hon. 

 local secretaries and other workers associated with 

 the Society was again arranged this year, and was 

 held on November 15th at the Empress Club, 

 Berkeley Street, W. So great a variety of subjects 

 had been sent in for discussion on the last occa- 

 sion, and time availed for the adequate treatment 

 of so few, that it was considered well on this 

 occasion to take up some of these important 

 topics in place of inviting fresh suggestions. 

 Legislation, Fashion, Nature Study teaching, and 

 the general Work of Hon. Secretaries were 

 accordingly selected, and these subjects proved 

 more than sufficient to occupy nearly three hours. 

 The Ranee of Sarawak (Lady Brooke), herself 

 an enthusiast in the cause of Bird Protection, and 

 a Vice-President of the Society, received the 

 guests, and in spite of unfavourable weather the 

 room was full. Mr. Montagu Sharpe, Chairman 

 of the Council, presided over the business part 

 of the proceedings, supported by Sir Herbert 

 Maxwell, Bart. (Vice-President), Mr. Ernest Bell, 

 Sir John Cockburn, Hon. Alfred Dobson, Mr. 

 H. E. Dresser, Dr. Drewitt and the Hon. Mrs. 

 Drewitt, Miss C. V. Hall, the Hon. Mrs. Arthur 

 Henniker, Mr. W. H. Hudson, Mr. Hastings 

 Lees, Mrs. F. E. Lemon, Miss L. Pollock, Mr. 

 Trevor-Battye, Mrs. Owen Visger, and Mr. F. E. 

 Lemon (Hon. Sec), members of the Council. 

 Among others present were the Hon. F. S. 

 O'Grady (H.L.S. for Derbyshire), Mr. J. R. B. 

 Masefield (Staffordshire), Miss Butler (Royston), 



Mrs. Care (Cardiff), Mr. G. W. Chitty (Hythe), 

 Mrs. Pollock (Mickleham), Miss Clifton (Rom- 

 ford), Mrs. Dixon Davies (Bucks), Miss M. B. 

 Gaskoin (Cambridge), Miss J. Andrews (Ted- 

 dington), Miss Lena Barron (Bloomsbury), Miss 

 Mace (Streatham), Mr. W. P. D. Stebbing 

 (Fulham), Miss A. C. Shipton (Croydon), Mrs. 

 Prist (Blackheath), Miss Thornely (Liverpool), 

 Mrs. Herdman (Finchley), Miss Major (Lewisham), 

 Miss Beeching (Tunbndge Wells), Sir Digby 

 Pigott, Lady Stepney and Miss Stepney, Lady 

 Johnston, Lady Hooker, Lady Muriel Watkins, Lady 

 Thompson, Colonel Coulson, Captain Tailby, Mr. 

 J. L. Bonhote, Mr. A. Riekmann, Mrs. Stratton 

 Boulnois, Mr. Cosmo Blore, Mrs. Wynnard Hooper, 

 Mr. Cecil Norman, Mrs. W. E. Scott, Mr. Frank 

 Borrett, Mr. and Mrs. A. H. H. Matthews, Mrs. 

 Nelson, Miss Jeaffreson, Mr. Clement E. Pike, 

 Mrs. Trewby, Miss Irving, Mrs. Allchin, Miss 

 Vertue, Mrs. and Miss Shuttleworth, Miss Mayo, 

 Mrs. Christie, Miss Gray Allen, Mrs. Trevor 

 Davis, Mrs. Marshall, Mr. John Morley, Mr. 

 D. R. Ratcliff, Mr. A. H. Eggett, Mrs. George 

 Cadbury, Miss French, Miss Cameron, Mr. 

 Arnold, Mrs. Godfrey Power, Miss Dresser, and 

 many others. 



The Duchess of Portland, President of the So- 

 ciety, wrote regretting that she was unable to 

 attend the Conference and expressing the ' : hope 

 that all those present will do what is in their 

 power to help the cause of the beautiful birds 

 which we have so much at heart." Many other 

 letters of apology were received. 



Legislation. 



Under this head were named on the programme : 

 the present Acts and their enforcement ; the need 

 for further public notices explanatory of the Acts 

 and Orders ; Bird-catching and a proposal to make 

 Sunday Bird catching illegal throughout Great 

 Britain ; the caging of Wild Birds and the condi- 

 tion of Bird-shops. 



Speaking on the general subject, 



Sir Herbert Maxwell said that the Society 

 had every reason to congratulate itself on what had 

 already been done. The Bird Protection Acts had 

 resulted in a great increase of desirable species, 

 such as the Woodcock, and several kinds of water- 

 fowl, especially Great Crested Grebe ; and the 

 Society had aroused a widespread, if somewhat 

 vague, interest in and desire to protect wild birds. A 

 great number of ladies had also, with laudable 

 self-denial, refused to wear the plumes that the 



