66 



Bird Notes and News 



IN THE COURTS. 



Shooting a Bittern. — At Thirsk, on 

 December 5th, Enoch Kitching was fined the 

 full penalty of £1 and costs for shooting a fine 

 male Bittern in Otterington Willow Garth, 

 near Northallerton. The bird is protected 

 throughout the year in Yorkshire. The 

 R.S.P.B. asked for forfeiture of the bird, 

 which had been sent to a taxidermist in York ; 

 it was, however, stated tliat it had been 

 given by the offender to a lady who had 

 incurred some expense in having it stuffed ; 

 and though possession is equally illegal wuth 

 killing, the Bench decided, in place of fining 

 her, to return her the specimen. 



BiED-CATGHiNG. — The amount of bird- 

 catching carried on in the Essex marsh 

 district has long given trouble to the Society, 

 As a result of the look-out kept by the police 

 to prevent the shooting of mihtary pigeons, 

 some of the catchers also have happily been 

 dropped upon. At West Ham, on November 

 3rd, Harry Sparkes, coal-porter, was fined £5 

 for torturing decoy birds, using nets, and 

 having seventeen scheduled birds in his 

 possession on Beckton Marshes. His nets 

 and birds were confiscated. At the same 

 Court, on October 30th, George Thomas Willis 

 was fined £5 and his apparatus confiscated, 

 for having newly-caught Chaffinches and 

 Linnets in liis possession. He was described 

 as a professional bird-catcher, and one of his 

 decoys had a stick thrust through it. 



Shooting a Gull. — At Southampton, on 

 October 13th, Alfred C. Hughes, of Warsash, 

 was fined 7s. 6d. for shooting a Sea-GuU at 

 Hamble. He said he did not know GuUs 

 were protected, as in Cornwall they were told 

 to . shoot them. (This case resulted from 

 the action of a lady member of the Society, 

 consequent on the wanton shooting of GuUs 

 on the shore.) 



Sunday " Game." — At Romford on Dec. 7, 

 Ernest William Jones, of Manor Park, was 

 summoned for taking a Thrush at Hornchurch 

 on Sunday, Nov. 26th, and for being un- 

 lawfully in search of game. Defendant had 

 a double-barrelled gun m his possession, 

 was seen to fire at a spot Avhere a covey of 

 Partridges had previously been noted, and 

 when searched had a newly-shot Thrush in 

 his pocket. He said he was in search of 

 Peewits and must get a bit of sport somehow. 



The police said Defendant had been fined 

 for carrying a loaded gun in a railway carriage 

 and had become a perfect nuisance in the 

 district by shooting on farms without 

 permission Sunday after Sunday. He was 

 ordered to pay 20s., his gun to be forfeited 

 and sold for the benefit of the county. 



GREETING CARD, 



1916-17. 



"Somewhere in France." 



Specially Designed and Painted by 



MR, ARCHIBALD THORBURN, 



And Reproduced in Colour with appropriate Verses 



One Card, 3d. ; by Post, S^d. 

 One Dozen Cards, 2s. 6d. ; by Post, 2s. 9d. 



C Through the kindness of Mr, Thorburn, the 

 ORIGINAL PICTURE is oa sale for the benefit 

 of the funds of the Society. 



Food-Stands & Nesting-Boxes 



Send for Catalogue of the R.S.P.B. 

 Nesting-boxes and Food-Stands for Wild Birds. 



ALL BRITISH MADE. 



Tree-hole Boxes (all the " Berlepscli " improvements) 



Walden Boxes ; Swinging Food-box ; Seed-hopper 



"Lunch Counter" ; "Shelter "; " Bird- House " 



" Svalen " and " Ward " Bird Tables. 



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 Bird Notes and News 



Bird Notes and News (issued quarterly) will 

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Printed by Withekdy & Co., 326, High Holborn, W.C, and 

 published by the Royal Socistv for the Protection op Birds, 

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