BIRD NOTES AND NEWS. 



53 



that the most selfish disciple of good Izaac Walton 

 need grudge to the noble sky-sailor his pittance. 

 Although the view expressed was contrary to that 

 of its regular contributor, the local journal gave 

 great prominence to your representative's letters. 

 Shortly afterwards, the Essex County Council 

 proved that far from cursing the poor Hawk it had 

 decided on blessing him altogether, by extending 

 its Orders for his protection. 



Outside the writing-table the Local Hon. Secre- 

 tary need not be inactive. Of course, our walks 

 abroad in country lanes will include keeping an 

 eye on the skulking places of the bird-snarer ; in- 

 deed the sense of responsibility as an amateur 

 scout lends interest to an otherwise aimless stroll, 

 and in detecting the bird-catcher with his vile 

 implements of torture one is siding with society 

 against a flagrant pest — the loafer who is " born 

 tired," and in default of a desire for honest work 

 crawls around to rob the country-side of its chief 

 charm and consign the sweet little wild birds to a 

 life of misery. The police-force will always follow 

 up" information, but cannot be ubiquitous in search- 

 ing out offenders. It is well to supply the Super- 

 intendents with Bird Notes for the benefit of the 

 constables on the station. 



The maintenance of bird sanctuaries is another 

 and most important matter. The districts east of 

 London are rapidly developing or degenerating 

 into gridirons of stuccoed slums, the trees and 

 hedgerows vanishing, and their tenants, the birds, 

 ruthlessly evicted. Yet the public parks supply not 

 only breathing-space for the people but preserves 

 for the wild birds ; notably Wanstead with its 

 island-heronry, and the Central Park at Ilford, 

 and the Hainault Park in course of formation. 

 Wherever these reserved areas are in being, the 

 Local Hon. Secretary should be prepared to advo- 

 cate the excellent rules and notices of our Society 

 for the preservation of bird-life. At my centre, 

 for example, the Urban Council has gone strong 

 in forwarding our cause, having transferred our 

 rules to its bye-laws and accepted our posters for 

 displaying in the public park. Within living 

 memory, Herons were wont to fish in the ponds of 

 this ancient demesne, formerly the property of a 

 historic family whose guests were kings ; it is 

 satisfactory to learn that stray herons have been 

 observed returning hither as " casuals" since the 

 resort has been given over for the enjoyment of the 

 public ; we look forward hopefully to boasting of 

 a heronry of our own. 



Wild birds have found shelter in yet another 



sanctuary. A minstrel of the 13th century, a bird- 

 lover, left his possessions to the monks of Wiirtz- 

 burg on condition that " They should feed the 

 birds at noontide daily on his place of rest." 

 Long after Walther von der Vogelweid, the great 

 modern painter Watts pleaded so eloquently in 

 the language of his art for compassion to the birds 

 that we see without surprise on the marble copings 

 of his grave sunken cups to hold the rain-water so 

 that the birds may drink. 



Our large cemeteries are not devoid of trees 

 and shrubs, and the guardians can be interested 

 in protecting birds attracted by the untroubled 

 quietude to build there. One such guardian in mv 

 district exercises a special protectorate over the 

 larks ; on no account would he or his men destroy 

 their nests in the long grass of the as yet unused 

 spaces. The guardian showed with delight a nest 

 of young skylarks, left somewhat exposed after 

 the work of the mowers, but quite uninjured. So, 

 it comes to pass that skylarks haunt the place ; 

 from 



" The first mild day of March, 

 Each minute sweeter than before," 



to the end of summer, one can scarce enter the 

 cemetery without hearing songs mounting up into 

 the sky, especially at sunset when the western 

 distance is framed in by the archway, and the sky- 

 lark's music seems an antiphon to the inscription 

 " Mors Janua vitae " over the wide gate. Truly it 

 is fitting that in God's acre the bird should find 

 room for li a nest where she may lay her young "' 

 and in return sing for the sorrowful pilgrim an 

 anthem of fearless faith and hope. 



To our workers, care for such nesting-homes 

 may well be commended as a sacred trust. Country 

 churchyards are seldom without their feathered 

 tenants, as was noted in the original MS. of the 

 "Elegy": — 



" The Robin loves to build and warble here, 

 And little footsteps lightly print the ground. 



Village children may be encouraged to serve as a 

 guard of honour in barring molestation of birds or 

 nests within the sacred limits. In winter, food for 

 these church-houselings might be regularly dis- 

 pensed, after the pattern of loaf-giving on Sundays 

 to the poor, still surviving in some places as a pious 

 legacy from the past. 



BIRDS AND CROPS. 



The question of birds and fruit-buds is discussed 

 by writers in two or three of the technical journals, 



