80 



Bird Notes and News 



IN THE COURTS. 



The Blrdcatcher's Decoy. — At Bury 

 St. Edmunds, on February 13, Frederick 

 Snell and William Policy were charged with 

 cruelty to a decoy Goldfinch. The men 

 were birdcatching, A^dth the decoy braced to 

 a stick. On the evidence of the police and 

 an R.S.P.C.A. inspector the string cut into 

 its flesh, and defendant admitted he knew 

 " there was a little bit off under the wing." 

 The Bench dismissed the case on the ground 

 that there was no " intentional " cruelty. 

 (West Suffolk is one of the few county areas 

 in which the catching of Goldfinches is 

 allowed; and the County Council has now 

 agreed to apply for an Order to protect them 

 all the year.) 



The Bird - dealer. — At Acton, on 

 February 3rd, Edward Stanley was fined 

 40s. for cruelty to ^\ild birds. The R.S.P.B. 

 prosecuted. Defendant had five birds in a 

 cage 11 in. by 4 in. by 7f in., two Linnets in a 

 cage 5 in. by 4| in., and two Thrushes in 

 linen bags in his pocket. The magistrate 

 remarked that fortunately the law protected 

 birds from brutes like defendant, and at once 

 granted the request for an order for their 

 release. — At Plaisiow, on January 13th, Eliza- 

 beth Smith was fined 40s. for cruelty to ten 

 Greenfinches. Inspector Moxey, of the 

 R.S.P.B., found the birds in small and dirty 

 cages (8 in. square for two birds), four 

 without water. One bird was unable to 

 rise from the cage floor. 



Club-row Market. — At Old Street (Lon- 

 don), on December 30th, Thomas Painter was 

 fined 20s. and costs for cruelty to four 

 Thrushes. Mr. Wilson, for the R.S.P.B., 

 stated that the birds, evidently newly 

 caught and greatly terrified, were being 

 hawked in the Bethnal Green Sunday market. 

 There was neither food nor water in the cage, 

 and one bird was on its back with another 

 on top of it ; defendant put a bird in a cloth 

 bag and handed it to a purchaser, who 

 placed it in his pocket. — At Marylebone, on 

 February 20th, Alfred Jenkins was charged 

 with cruelty at the Club-row Market. The 

 R.S.P.B. Inspector said that defendant and 

 two other men were selling birds from a stall, 

 each bird being handed over in a paper bag ; 

 eighteen Linnets and a Goldfinch were in 

 one cage, without food or water, and twenty- 

 four Larks in another very dirty cage 



underneath the stall ; he called in a police- 

 man to see the state of the birds. The 

 constable, however, gave contradictory evi- 

 dence, saying that the birds were only " just 

 a little huddled up " and had food and water. 

 Mr. Plowden thereupon dismissed the case. 



Differing Magistrates. — At West Ham 

 on December 19th, Ernest Frederick Wells 

 was fined 40s. for cruelty to a decoy Green- 

 finch. He was bird-catching in Stratford 

 Marshes and the decoy bird Avas found with 

 a wire round its body, nearly dead At Grays, 

 Edwin and Henry Glibbery were summoned 

 for cruelty to a decoy Greenfinch. They 

 were birdcatching at Tilbury ; the decoy 

 was tied by its legs, and round the body 

 was a piece of thin string which cut into its 

 flesh, and must have caused great pain. 

 The magistrates dismissed the case on pay- 

 ment of 4s. costs. 



BrRDCATCHING AT MAIDENHEAD. — At 



Maidenhead, on January 28th, Alexander 

 Paget, birdcatcher, was summoned by the 

 R.S.P.B. for cruelty to five Linnets and 

 seven Bullfinches. The birds were used as 

 decoys, and were found in filthy cages, 

 without food and water, two of the cages 

 measuring only 6 in. by 6 in. PoUce 

 evidence corroborated that of the inspector. 

 The Bench dismissed the case with a warning 

 to defendant. 



"The Plume Question 



in a Nutshell." 



Reprinted from the Winter Number of 

 Bird Notes and News, with a note on the 

 London Feather Sales from — 



"Our Vanishing Wild Life" 



(Dr. Homaday). 



Price 3d. per doz., 1/9 per 100. 



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