12 



Bird Notes and News 



Bird Life in Italy. 



Mr. W. p. D. Stebbing sends the follow- 

 ing interesting Bird Notes from Rome, 

 where he has been spending the winter : — 



" The abuse of bird-life in Italy is a matter 

 almost too painful for bird-lovers to talk 

 about. The subject has struck me especially, 

 as it has doubtless struck others, on a first 

 winter visit to the country. The country 

 groans under a burden of insect life ; yet 

 neither size nor nature of bird seems to 

 stay the hand of the still primitive man out 

 for the pot or a few soldi. In the matter of 

 netted birds, no small species seems to be 

 ignored, as in a cage of Goldfinches, Green- 

 finches, and Linnets were several Hedge- 

 Sparrows. Near by, an unhappy Crow was 

 restlessly craning his neck for some opening 

 in the bars. On another occasion one of the 

 larger Hawks was noticed, tethered by some 

 cages in the sun. 



" But it is not so much the live birds wearing 

 out their little lives in cages that affect the 

 bird-lover in Italy ; it is the absence of all 

 respect for species when the thought of the 

 pot comes in. On the marshes between 

 Palermo and Paestum, as well as about the 

 Campagna and the country round Viterbo, 

 the " sportsman " is ready with his gun for 

 ever>i;hing that flies, with the exception 

 perhaps of Magpies. The piles of Gold- 



finches, Robins, Blue Tits, Greenfinches, not 

 to mention Larks, Blackbirds, and Thrushes, 

 that disgrace the poulterers' shops in Rome 

 sicken one ; while I actually saw hanging up, 

 among a bunch of other small birds in a shop 

 in Viterbo, the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. 

 At the beginning of March I saw Larks, 

 unplucked, priced at 3 soldi each, while 

 the other smaller birds could be bought for 

 2| soldi. As nothing comes amiss to an 

 Italian, there seems little hope, with the prices 

 of foodstuffs rising so tremendously, that 

 he will modify his diet to the extent of 

 reducing his consumption of small birds. 



" The method of cooking such little morsels 

 was another revelation to me, and may also 

 be unknown to others ; it is a further 

 instance of ways long given up in England, 

 but still continued in countries like Italy. 

 Above a grilling fire is an iron revolving 

 framework driven by clockwork. The frame- 

 work takes iron rods on which are spitted the 

 small birds alternately with thick squares 

 of bread. The bread thus absorbs any juice 

 given from the tiny morsels, and is toasted 

 at the same time. This form of roasting- 

 jack is used for various other kinds of meat. 



"Small birds are quite commonly offered 

 at meals in hotels and pensions in this 

 part of Italy, so I am sadly afraid that the 

 foreigner accepts them as one of his courses, 

 in common with the Italian." 



Bird Protection Orders. 



[A (6) : Sanctuary Area for Birds. A (e) : Sanctuary Area for Eggs. B : Birds added to Schedule. 

 C : Close time altered. D : Species exempted from protection. E : Eggs protected. F : Species 



protected all the year. 



The following Bird Protection Orders have 

 been issued since Jan. 1, 1912, with the altera- 

 tions indicated : — 



Cheshire, Jan. 29. A (6) A (e) B C E F. 

 Slight changes in the list of parishes in which 

 Gulls and Terns have all-the-year protection. 



Devonshire, Jan. 22. A (e) B C D E F. 

 Cormorant and Shag exempted from protec- 

 tion until end of year 1912. 



Huntingdon, Feb. 2. B C E F S. Close 

 time for Wild Duck to be from March 1 to 

 Aug. 1 only. All-the-year protection of 

 Owls not to include Little Owl. 



Lincoln, Kesteven Division, ,Feb. 15. 

 B C E F. Removes StarUng from the Schedule, 



to which it was added by previous Order. 



YoRKS, North Riding, Jan. 15. A (&) 

 B C E D E F. Much-extended Order, with 

 numerous species added to Schedule and 

 protected all the year ; eggs of various 

 species protected ; Sunday protection. 



Suffolk, East, Feb. 22. B C E F S. 

 Eggs of numerous species protected. Addi- 

 tions to B and F lists. 



Anglesey, Feb. 14. C E F. Addition to 

 list of eggs protected. 



Cardiff (County Borough). Feb. 19. 

 B E F. Numerous species added to Schedule. 



Galway, Feb. 27. E. Renewal for five 

 years of Order of 1907. 



