34 



Bird Notes and News 



Kev. Dr. Archibald Fleming, and seconded by 

 Mr. Holbrook Jackson : — 



That legislation is necessary in the interests of 

 bird i^reservation throughout the world, and that in 

 the opinion of this Meeting the importation into 

 England of the plumage of wild birds should be 

 prohibited. 



The second, proposed by Mr. Frederick 

 Spriggs, seconded by Miss Clifton : — 



That this Meeting records its detestation of the 

 taking and caging of %vild song birds during the winter 

 months, and urges the Home Secretary to promote 

 legislation which will put a stop to these practices. 



An interesting feature of the Meeting was the 

 presentation of a field-glass and Mr. Coward's 

 " Birds of the British Isles and their Eggs " to 

 Mr. E. H. Peat, Head-keeper on the Duke of 

 Devonshire's Derbyshire Estate, in recognition 

 of his endeavours to protect a Sea-Eagle in the 

 Derwent Valley. 



A vote of thanks was accorded the Chairman 

 and speakers, and to the Middlesex County 

 Council, on the motion of Sir George Greenwood, 

 seconded by Mr. Trevor-Battye. A full report 

 of the Proceedings will appear in the Society's 

 Annual Report, to be issued shortly. 



COUNCIL MEETING. 



The Council of the Society met on January 

 28th, 1921, at the Guildhall, Westminster, Mr. 

 Montagu S'harpe, K.C. (Chairman) presiding. 



The Hon. Secretary's Report recorded with 

 great regret the death of the Viscountess 

 Galway, a Vice-President and active supporter 

 of the Society. A Bird Protection Order had 

 been issued for Hampshire, making a breeding 

 sanctuary of Southern Oakhanger Pond and 



certain adjoining lands, at the instance of the 

 Earl of Selborne. Ten lectures had been given 

 in connection with the Society, and eleven Bird 

 and Tree Festivals held. Mr. Hudson had 

 kindly presented 100 copies of his " Birds in a 

 Village " as prizes in the Competition. 



The Finance and General Purposes Committee 

 presented the statement of accounts for 1920. 

 Miss Margetts was appointed Hon. Local 

 Secretary for Kenilworth in succession to Mrs. 

 Key, who resigned. The following Fellows and 

 Members were elected : 



Fellows : Miss E. Marston, Miss Petitjean, T. F. 

 Twist, T. Smith, J. B. Watson. 



Members : Mrs. Balfour, F. Bannister, Hugh L. 

 Brooksbank, Miss B. A. Carter, George J. Corke, Mrs. 

 Dickinson, Louis Evans, Mrs. Louis Evans, Mrs. 

 Fitzroy Fenwick, Mrs. Ford, Mrs. Sidney Frankenburg, 

 A. C. Eraser, Reginald P. Gait, A. J. Hett, LL.B., 

 Miss A. B. Hill, Miss D. A. Hill, Miss Humby, C. R. W. 

 Jackson, C. W. Mason, Fitzroy Murray, Miss Power, 

 Mrs. Middleton Taylor, Ralph Venning, H. T. Whorlow, 

 Elgar Wilford, Lady Stewart Wilson. 



Life Membeks : Lord Tennyson, Lieut. -Colonel 

 A. E. Lascelles. 



Dr. Philip Gosse was nominated as a member 

 of the Council. Among the subjects discussed 

 were the Bird Protection Acts and the revision 

 of Orders ; legislation to prohibit the importa- 

 tion of Plumage ; the sale of Bearded Tits as 

 cage-birds ; Bird Protection in Guernsey ; 

 the shooting of a White-tailed Eagle in Kent ; 

 shooting from aeroplanes ; destruction of sea- 

 birds by petrol-oil ; and other matters. 



Committee meetings were held on February 

 14th. 



Next meeting of the Council, April 22nd. 



"My Sisters 



99 



The following protest comes from Mr. Edgar 

 Syers : — 



" Humanity to animals was not in mediaeval times 

 a distinguishing characteristic of the Church, but 

 there are a few touching legends of the affection with 

 which the Hermits regarded the wild creatures which 

 were often their only companions. 



" One of these sets forth how St. Francis of Assisi 

 used to say : ' If I could only be presented to the 

 emperor I would pray him, for the love of God and of 

 me, to issue an edict prohibiting anyone from catching 

 or imprisoning my sisters the Larks.' There are 

 doubtless to-day, ' when sins are so many and saints 

 so few,' numbers of people who would be glad to offer 

 such a petition, for fortunately the love of birds and 

 animals is by no means confined to saints and religious 

 folks ; the atheist loves them too. 



" A short time ago the writer was reminded of the 

 words of St. Francis by an article on Lark Hawking 

 which appeared in the Field, setting forth how hundreds 

 of Larks had been destroyed, and indicating how some 

 of those which were taken un wounded from the clutches 

 of the hawks were caged in order to afford sport on 

 a future occasion. 



" Such an account was sufficiently distressing to a 

 lover of birds, and it was accentuated by the details 

 and the statement of the great numbers slain of ' the 

 bird beloved of the sickly sentimentalist.' The latter 

 phrase was an affront to all who would be proud to be 

 placed in such a category with Shakespeare, Shelley, 

 Wordsworth, Thomas Hardy, and Davenant ; and to 

 the memory of those poets who, if they were senti- 

 mentalists, have left us legacies of which all the 

 generations of the children of men may be proud and 

 who have sanctified and sv/eetened this paradoxical 

 world." 



