74 



Bird Notes and News 



P. W. Parminter and the Rev. D. A. 

 Scott for their constant vigilance on behalf 

 of the wild birds. 



PUBLIC SCHOOLS ESSAY 

 COMPETITION. 



The Society again invite Essays from 

 boys at the Public Schools of Great Britain 

 in competition for Silver and Bronze 

 Medals, certificates, and books. The 

 subjects this year are as follows : — 



Senior Dimsion (over 16). — Notes on the 

 Legs and Feet of Birds and the various uses 

 to which they are specially adapted, such as 

 walking, hopping, perching, climbing, wading, 

 swimming, etc., with observations from life 

 on one or more species exemplifying each 

 type. 



Junior Division (under 16). — Notes on 

 Birds observed [a) during a holiday at the 

 seaside ; or (6) a holiday in any inland 

 district. A sketch map of the neighbourhood 

 to be given. 



Essays to be handed in to a representa- 

 tive of the Society at the School, or for- 

 warded to the Society, not later than 

 September 30th, 1913. Particulars and 

 entry-forms may be obtained from the 

 Society. 



AILSA CRAIG. 



Reports having been received of the 

 destruction of wild birds' eggs by quarry- 

 men and others on this great breeding- 

 place of wild fowl, the Society approached 

 the owner of the rock, the Marquess of 

 Ailsa, and has received the following satis- 

 factory reply from his factor. 



" Before nesting operations began on 

 Ailsa Craig last year, notices were erected 

 on prominent points on the Island prohibiting 

 the lifting of eggs by persons visiting it, and 

 notice was sent to the Quarry Company 

 requesting them to intimate to their workmen 

 that any one reported lifting eggs would be 

 instantly dismissed. 



" On my visiting the Island later in the 

 year, I made special enquiry as to the effect 



of these notices, and was glad to learn that 

 very few, if any eggs, had been removed 

 during last nesting season, and so far as I 

 could judge the birds seemed to be as 

 numerous as on any of my previous visits. 



" Looking to the very large number of 

 sea-birds of all kinds which annually resort 

 to the Craig, and the inaccessibility of the 

 greater number of the nests (which can only 

 be reached by special appliances not available 

 either to the casual visitors, fishermen or 

 quarrj^men), it would seem that only a small 

 proportion of the more readily accessible 

 ones could have been raided, and that the 

 danger of extinction of any of the species 

 was remote. 



" His Lordship, however, is anxious that 

 any traffic in eggs should be put a stop to, 

 and attention will be again called this 

 season to the prohibition." 



THE LATE DR. E. A. WILSON. 



Bird-Protectors have special cause to 

 lament the tragic fate of Dr. E. A. Wilson, 

 zoologist and artist of Captain Scott's 

 expedition to the South Pole. Tender in 

 heart as he was adventurous of spirit, he 

 was deeply interested in birds and their 

 preservation, and his work in former 

 journeys has added much to the world's 

 knowledge of birds in the Antarctic Region. 

 He spoke on his favourite subject at one 

 of the Annual Meetings of the Society (of 

 which he was a member), and contributed 

 an article on Penguins, illustrated by 

 himself, to an early number of " Bird 

 Notes and News," pointing out that, far 

 as certain birds might appear to be 

 removed from danger through man, " it is 

 certainly unwise and untrue to say that 

 the antarctic Penguins can never need 

 protection." So long as there is money 

 in penguin oil, trade will follow them far 

 into the land of ice. It is a coincidence 

 that the news of Dr. Wilson's death came 

 close upon the news that the Government 

 of Australia have at length agreed to 

 protect the Penguins of the Macquarie 

 Islands. 



