16 



Bird Notes and News 



time they thought it would not be wise to press 

 into the scheme schools where the teachers 

 did not see their way to carry it out. It was 

 much better to go slowly. He hoped in two or 

 three years to be able to show a much larger 

 number of competing schools in Lancashire. 



IN THE COURTS 



" A Very Cruel Occupation." — At Walsall, on 

 March 3rd, John Cutler was fined 40s. for cruelty 

 to a decoy Linnet. Defendant was seen with two large 

 bird-nets set in a field, and a Linnet attached to a 

 string. He threw the bird several times into the air 

 and it fell exhausted, when P.C. Lavender came up 

 and liberated it. Defendant said he had been a bird- 

 catcher for thirty years, and it was not illegal to catch 

 birds, to which the magistrates' clerk responded, 

 " Unfortunately it is not, I wish it was." The Chair- 

 man added that it was a very cruel occupation. 



Sunday Shooting. — At Mistley, on January 30th, 

 two men were fined 5s. each for shooting two Widgeon 

 and a Black-backed Gull on a Sunday. There had 

 been numerous complaints of such offences. 



Killing a Kingfisher. — At CAea^^Ze (Staffordshire), 

 on January 27th, at the Children'sCourt, aboy of 15 was 

 fined 17s. 6d. for killing a Kingfisher. He said he 

 threw a piece of coal at the bird and knocked it into 

 the water, but did not mean to kill it. He had seen 

 the Bird Protection notices but did not read them. 

 The Chairman said the Bench wished it to be well 

 known that it was against the law to kill these wild 

 birds or take their eggs, and if any further cases oc- 

 curred the punishment would be more severe. The 

 bird (which had been stuffed) would be forfeited and 

 sent to the Natural History Museum at Hanley, and 

 the police would see that it got there. 



The Man with a Gun. — At Loddon (Norfolk), on 

 January 11th, James H. Money was fined 21s. for 

 shooting a Bittern at Geldeston. The Superintendent 

 of Police, in mentioning that the species was nearly 

 extinct and was specially protected, said he was in- 

 structed by the Chief Constable to take these pro- 

 ceedings and to ask, if there was a conviction, for the 

 forfeiture of the bird. This the Bench accordingly 

 ordered. Defendant said he thought it was a Heron 

 and expressed his regret. (But why shoot a Heron ? ) 



The Birdcatcher's Decoy. — At Tottenham, on 

 February 16th, Reginald Amos was charged with 

 torturing a decoy- bird and taking protected birds, 

 and also with taking birds on Sunday. The decoy 

 Greenfinch was braced and jerked up and down by a 

 string ; it was in an exhausted state and the police- 

 man had to kill it. Defendant pleaded " out of 

 work," Fined £4 on the first charge, £1 on the other, 

 and nets, etc., forfeited. 



The " Sportsman." — At Epsom, on January 27th, 

 Alfred Dodge, of Leatherhead, was fined 5s. for shooting 

 two Moorhens on a Sunday. He was seen carrying a 

 gun and had the birds in a kit-bag. 



"A TIRED TRAVELLER** 



(The Redwing). 



By W. H. HUDSON. 



Reprinted, by permission of Messrs. J. M. Dent & Sons, 

 from "Adventures among Birds." 



With Coloured Illustration from the painting by 

 H. Gronvold. 



Price 3d. 



THE STORY OF BIRD PROTECTION IN 

 BRITAIN. 



Price 6d. 



Send this to your Milliner. 



AN OPEN LETTER TO THE MILLINERY 

 TRADE. 



Reprinted, with additions, from the " Millinery 

 Trades Journal." 



BIRD-ALLY POSTCARDS 



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 value of Birds in Agriculture, from 

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Twelve Cards, assorted, Gd. ; 3 packets, 1/3, 

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AN 



ABC OF COMMON BIRDS 



A pocket Guide to the commoner Inland Birds of Britain 



With short and simple descriptions from which 

 they may be identified by the unlearned ; their 

 local names ; and brief notes on the food they 

 eat that may be regarded as "pro" or "con" 

 the interests of husbandman and gardener. 



IGmo. 64 pages. Price 6d., by post 7d. 



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BiED Notes and News (issued quarterly) will 

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