Bird Notes and News 



13 



The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. 



COUNCIL MEETING. 



Mr. Montagu Sharpe, K.C, (Chairman), pre- 

 sided at the quarterly meeting of the Council 

 on April 23rd, 1920. 



The Hon. Secretary reported on the position 

 of the Plumage Bill. The Bill, and the corre- 

 spondence thereon in the Times, were discussed, 

 and it was agreed that, as the text had been 

 approved by the Board of Trade, the amend- 

 ment suggested by the Duke of Rutland should 

 not be pressed. Deep regret was expressed at 

 the death of Dr. Gordon Hewitt, one of the 

 most able and vigorous of leaders in the preser- 

 vation of wild life. Twenty-three lectures had 

 been given, by Mrs. F. E. Lemon, Miss Alice 

 Anderson, Rev. J. E. Kelsall, Rev. B. T. Verrey, 

 Rev. J. Heaton, Major Haines, Major Orde- 

 Lees, Major C. Smith, Mr. H. D. Astley, Mr. 

 H. P. Burdett, Mr. H. Collison, Mr. Cragghill, 

 Mr. G. Daybell, Mr. G. Frisby, Mr. Gilbert- 

 Cooper, Mr. J. Hopwood, Mr. H. C. Metcalfe, 

 Mr. Masefield, Mr. J. Norris, and Mr. Herbert 

 Walker. Twenty-five Bird and Tree Festivals 

 had been held. The Scottish Bird Protection 

 Orders had been imder revision, and those for 

 the great majority of the counties issued during 

 February. The plan of issuing these Orders 

 for a definite period has been abandoned, and 

 they now remain in force until further notice. 

 Bute and Elgin remain without Orders. 



The Finance and General Purposes Com- 

 mittee presented the accounts for the quarter. 

 The resignations of Mr. R. S. Moreau, Hon. Sec. 

 for Farnham, on leaving for Egypt, and of Miss 

 Berrill, Hon. Sec. for Kettering, on leaving the 

 neighbourhood, were received with regret ; and 

 Miss Kathleen Jacques, Orlingbury Hall, 

 Wellingborough, was appointed to succeed 

 Miss Berrill. The following Fellows and 

 Members were elected:— 



Fellows : Reginald F. Appach, Miss Esther Bright, 

 J. R. Bristow, Mrs. Stracey Clitherow, Miss M. E. 

 Fairholme, Mrs. Murray Guthrie, Miss K. H. Henrey, 

 Miss M. Herron, Mrs. Hamilton Leigh, Major T. G. L. 

 Lumley-Smith, D.S.O., J. P. Mills, I.C.S., J. M. K. 

 McGugan, Mrs. R. E. McLean, H. T. Mercer, Mrs. 

 Murray-Smith, Mrs. Chandos Pole-Gell, Spencer J. 

 Portal, Desborough Walford, J, W. Baker White. 



Life Fellow : J. C. Moulton. 



Members : Donald Benton, T. H. Brinton, Mrs. 

 E. du Boulay, Miss M. M. Chamberlayne, Arthur E. 

 Chaplin, Mrs. E. H. Corbett, A. Crowther, Arthur L. 

 Cutbill, Miss Darby, Miss M. E. Doran, Miss Helen 

 Drummond, J. A. Edwards, L. Edwards, Mrs. Fierz, 



Mrs. Fairholme, E. G. Gilbert-Cooper, A. C. Greene, 

 H. W. Honess, Miss Irvine, Captain W. James, R.N., 

 Colonel J. H. M. Jebb, D.S.O., Alfred J. Kingham, 

 Captain F. 0. Lewis, R.N., Albert E. Malpas, T. G. 

 Mathews, Mrs. Mitchell, Mrs. Murray-Dixon, Misa 

 S. L. Richards, James Robinson, Miss Katharine 

 Rowland, Miss E. Sawers, H. D. Scogings, Lady Scott, 

 Miss Marjorie Seaver, Mrs. Soames, Captain Archibald 

 Stirling, Miss Summers, Miss Agnes Travers, 

 Rev. S. E. Ward, Eric White, Miss D. M. Williams, 

 D. N. Williams, Mrs. Wilson, Miss E. Wilson, Rev. 

 B. Wilson. 



Life Member : Julian S. Huxley. 



The Report of the Watchers recommended 

 that a record of the work done in 1919 should 

 be printed for private circulation ; enumerated 

 the Watchers appointed for 1920, and stated 

 that special letters had been sent to all of 

 these, calling their attention to the need for 

 greater care and vigilance than ever before, to 

 which they had responded loyally and heartily. 



Mr. W. P. Pycraft and Mr. J. L. Bonhote 

 were elected members of the Council, and the 

 Standing Committees were re-elected. It was. 

 rej)orted that numerous complaints had been 

 received of the revival of birdcatching and in- 

 creased supplies of wild birds in the shops 

 during the close time ; various inquiries had 

 been prosecuted, and a letter had been sent to 

 the Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis, 

 asking him to instruct his officers to do all they 

 could to enforce the law. It was agreed that a 

 test case might be brought on a certain point 

 in the Acts. The shooting of Owls at Roe 

 Green Village, near Heudon, and in the Isle 

 of Wight was reported, a fine having been 

 imposed in the latter case, in which a farmer 

 was prosecutor. A letter was read from Sir 

 Robert Baden-Powell, asking the Society's 

 suggestions and co-operation relative to the 

 institution of " Bird Wardens " among the 

 Boy Scouts ; and other correspondence was 

 brought forward. 



OBITUARY. 



The Society is the poorer for the loss of two old 

 and constant members and sympathisers. 

 Canon Rawnsley and Miss Rhoda Broughton. 

 The Rev. Hardwick D. Rawnsley, whose name 

 will ever be associated with the Lake District 

 and its poets, and with the National Trust and 

 many other movements for the preservation of 

 England's beauty and the uplifting of English 

 thought, joined the R.S.P.B. in 1893, became 



