62 



Bird Notes and News 



The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds 



COUNCIL MEETING 



The Council of the Society held their 

 quarterly meeting on July 15th, 1921, at the 

 Guildhall, Westminster, Mr. Montagu Sharjie, 

 K.C. (Chairman), presiding over an unusually 

 large attendance. 



The Hon. Secretary's Report chronicled 

 with much regret the death of Sir George 

 Kekewich. It reviewed the Parliamentary 

 Bills of the session concerned with various 

 forms of Bird-Protection, and stated that 

 Orders had been issued for Wiltshire, Carnarvon, 

 and Denbigh for the better protection of the 

 Lapwing. The Society had exhibited nesting- 

 boxes and literature at the Royal Ulster 

 Agricultural ShoAV, through the kindness of 

 the Ulster S.P.C.A., and at the Bath and 

 West of England Show, thanks to Mr. Gait, 

 Secretary of the Bristol Field Club. Thirteen 

 Bird and Tree Festivals had been held. 



In presenting the accounts for the quarter, 

 the Finance and General Purposes Committee 

 reported that the Society had received a 

 legacy of £50 under the will of the late Mrs. 

 M. L. Hawkins. They deplored the death 

 of Mr. George Frisby, an active and sympathetic 

 worker and lecturer, who had acted as Hon. 

 Secretary for Loughborough since 1907. Miss 

 F. K. Staunton was appointed Hon. Secretary 

 for Lowestoft district, and Mr. Bernard Riley 

 for Pontypridd. The following Fellows and 

 Members were elected : — 



Fellows : Viscount Falmouth, Lt.-Col. Dudley W. 

 Buclde, John Byers, H. S. Charrinston, Alfred Chisholm, 

 George Cochrane, Mrs. Emile Cohn, Mervyn Coote, 

 John M. Crosthwaite, Thomas Cushny, A. I.E. A., 

 F.R.E.S., Lady Dixon, Miss 0. de Pass, C. P. Duncan, 

 Lt.-Col. F. C. Dundas, D.S.O., Mrs. Fargua, Mrs. 

 Fulton, Miss Jean Graham, Miss Edith J. Hudson, 

 H. G. Hurrell, Miss L. Mulcaster, Mrs. Muller, G. T. 

 Pilcher, Harold W. Roy, S. Heywood Seville. 



Membkrs : The Earl of Onslow, Mrs. L. Adair, 

 J. E. Arnett, Michael Aitken, Mrs. R. Bell, Arthur 

 Bellin, Miss K. Beresford, E. G. Bodycote, Miss Bower, 

 Major S. H. CajDper, Mrs. Leicester Carejs Miss Agnes 

 Coventry, Miss Cullen, Mrs. Doarnley, Mrs. Arthur 

 Drummond, Miss F. E. Gay, Melville Gray, Mrs. G. H. 

 Hart, Rev. A. H. Hildersley, Miss A. E. Hunting, 

 Miss M. E. Hunting, Mrs. Jennings, E. Alfred Jones, 

 F.R.Hist.S., Miss'^M. G. Langton, Mrs. Leake, 

 Sir Arthur H. J. Lees, Bart., Miss Mary Loveday, 

 Mrs. M. G. C. Mackay, W. R. McGeagh, James Macnab, 

 A. W. Millard, Mrs. R. E. Negus, Miss C. Nelson. 

 Lt.-Col. W. F. K. Newson, C. H. C. Pengelly, Miss 

 M. E. Savile, Mrs. Scorer, F. F. Stoner, Charles Symons, 



D. W. Turner, Miss G. M. Williams, Lt.-Col. Lewis 

 Williams, Mrs. Philip Williams, Mrs. Nicholas Wood. 



Life Members : Fred. McC. Jowett, John Stratford 

 Sanderson, Miss Agnes Wilson-Farquharson. 



The Watchers' Committee presented reports 

 from Watching Stations and from Lighthouses, 

 and as to needed amendments in County 

 Orders and in the Protection Acts ; and also 

 as to the recommendations of a special meeting 

 with reference to the Wild Birds Advisory 

 Committee. A reprint in pamphlet form 

 had been prepared of " The Story of Bird 

 Protection in Britain," which appeared in 

 Bird Notes and News. 



Among the special subjects considered were 

 the Plumage Act, the decrease of Swallows, 

 caged birds, arrangements for judging Bird 

 and Tree Essays, egg-taking by school children, 

 and the trapping of a Rough-Legged Buzzard 

 in Morayshire. 



DEATH OF SIR GEORGE KEKEWICH 



Sir George Kekewich, well known for his 

 support of humanitarian effort in general, 

 had long been an active sympathiser with the 

 work of the R.S.P.B. He served on the 

 Committee (later, the Council) of the Society 

 from 1902 to 1912, being elected a Vice- 

 President in the latter year. He interested 

 himself especially in the question of Nature 

 Study in the schools, on which he could speak 

 with authority as for some time Secretary 

 to the Board of Education. He presided 

 at the Annual Meeting in 1902, when he 

 took the opportunity to commend the newly- 

 introduced Bird and Tree scheme : — 



" He held that it was the duty of those in 

 charge of the education of children to instil 

 into their minds a love of birds, an appreciation 

 of their beauty and a sense of their usefulness. 

 Country children were dead to the beauties of 

 their surroundings unless they were taught to 

 observe them. To an untaught country child, 

 what was a bird ? Something to throw a 

 stone at. What were birds' eggs ? Something 

 that would look pretty on a string. What was 

 a tree ? Something to cut a stock from. 

 Such a child lived in a fairyland, but did not 

 know it." 



Sir George also held strong opinions on the 

 evils of bird-catching and bird-caging. 



