Bird Notes and News 



The young were eagerly fluttering on the 

 branch, squealing a greeting, Uke puppies, or 

 small pigs, when he shot their latest foster- 

 parent. That night the young kestrels shifted 

 their quarters, and were not seen again for a 

 fortnight, when they were discovered in a 

 sparrow-hawk's ruined nest. For the fourth 

 time the keeper shot a full-grown male kestrel 

 as he came in to succour the orphans. He 

 believes that at least one of the four young 



ones survived all perils of infancy. His ex- 

 planation of the mysterious affair is that the 

 male birds who attended these much-bereaved 

 youngsters had themselves been deprived of 

 their mates by other keepers in other distant 

 preserves, and were roaming the countryside 

 to seek new brides. Finding the orphans, 

 family instinct prompted them to take charge, 

 an act of natural love requited by the keeper's 

 gun. 



The Trade in Birds' Plumage 



THE PLUMAGE ACT 



The Importation of Plumage (Prohibition) Act 

 of 1921 (11 and 12 Geo. IV., c. 16) comes into 

 force on April 1st, 1922. The provisions of 

 the Act appear to be a good deal misunderstood, 

 and it may be well, therefore, to give the 

 complete text. The provisions are as follows : — 



1. — (1) Subject to the provisions of this Act, a 

 person shall not import into the United Kingdom 

 the plumage of any bird. 



(2) Goods prohibited to be imported by virtue of 

 this Act shall be deemed to be included among the 

 goods enumerated and described in the table of pro- 

 hibitions and restrictions inwards contained in section 

 forty-two of the Customs Consolidation Act, 1876, 

 and the provisions of that Act and of any Act amending 

 or extending that Act shall apply accordinglJ^ 



2. — (1) The plumage of the following birds, namely : 

 (a) Birds for the time being included in the 

 Schedule to this Act ; 



(6) Birds imported alive ; 



(c) Birds ordinarily used in United Kingdom 

 as articles of diet ; 

 is excepted from the prohibition on importation 

 imposed by this Act. 



(2) The prohibition on importation imposed by this 

 Act shall not apply to any plumage imported as part of 

 the wearing apparel of a passenger if, in the opinion of 

 the Commissioners of Customs and Excise, that 

 plumage is bond fide intended and is reasonably 

 required for the personal use of the passenger. 



(3) Where an application is made to the Board of 

 Trade for the addition to or removal from the Schedule 

 to this Act of the name of any bird, the Board may, 

 after taking into consideration the recommendation 

 made in the matter by the advisory committee to be 

 appointed under this Act, by order add to the said 

 Schedule or remove therefrom, as the case may be, 

 the name of that bird. 



An Order made under this provision shall specify the 

 name of the species and of the order, if any, to which 

 the bird mentioned in the Order belongs. 



(4) The Board of Trade may grant to any person a 

 licence subject to such conditions and regulations as 

 they may think fit authorising the importation of 



plumage for any natural history or other museum, 

 or for the purpose of scientific research, or for any 

 other special purpose. 



(5) Any person importing plumage under a licence 

 granted in pursuance of this section shall on importa- 

 tion deliver to an officer of Customs and Excise a 

 written declaration as to the nature of the plumage 

 and the purpose for which it is imported, and any 

 person importing any plumage which is alleged to 

 be excepted from the prohibition on importation 

 imposed by this Act shall, if so required, deliver to 

 an officer of Customs and Excise a written declaration 

 as to the nature of the plumage and the ground on 

 which it is alleged to be so excepted. 



(6) Anything authorised or required under this Act 

 to be done to or by the Board of Trade may be done 

 to or by the President, a secretary or an assistant 

 secretary, of the Board, or to or by any person 

 authorised in that behalf by the President of the 

 Board. 



3. Within four months of the passing of this Act, 

 the Board of Trade shall appoint an advisory com- 

 mittee consisting of : — 



(a) An independent chairman. 

 (6) Two experts in ornithology. 



(c) Three experts in the feather trade. 



(d) Four other members. 



All applications for addition to or removal from 

 the Schedule to this Act shall be made to the Board of 

 Trade, which shall refer such applications to the 

 advisory committee, which shall, after due inquiry, 

 submit a recommendation to the Board of Trade in 

 regard thereto. 



4. — (1) In this Act the expression "plumage" 

 includes the skin or body of a bird with the plumage 

 on it. 



(2) This Act may be cited as the Importation of 

 Plumage (Prohibition) Act, 1921. 



(3) This Act shall come into operation on the 

 expiration of nine months after the passing thereof. 



The only birds named in the Schedule of 

 the Act when passed were the Afncan Ostrich 

 and the Eider Duck. 



It will be seen that no reference is made to 

 the sale or wearing of the prohibited plumage . 



