36 



Bird Notes and News 



The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. 



ANNUAL MEETING. 

 The 28th Annual fleeting of the Societj- 

 was held at the Guildhall. Westminster, on 

 March 20th, 1919. The Duchess of Portland, 

 who presided, was unanimously re-elected 

 President ; the Duchess of Somerset, in 

 moving the resolution, strongly protested 

 against the introduction of song-birds into 

 west-end provision stores. The Annual 

 Report and Statement of Accounts were 

 adopted, on the motion of the President, 

 seconded by Mr. Montagu Sharpe ; and the 

 Council and officers were re-elected. The 

 following resolution was moved by Mrs. 

 F. E. Lemon, in the unavoidable absence 

 of the Marquess of Crewe, seconded by Mi'. 

 Meade -Waldo, and carried : 



" That in the opinion of the Royal Society for the 

 Protection of Birds it is desirable that a scheme for 

 making Heligoland an Ornithological Observation 

 Station and Bird Sanctuary under International 

 control, should be adopted by the Peace Conference 

 at Paris, and that a copy of this resolution be 

 forwarded to the British Peace Delegation." 



The slaughter of Penguins in the Antarctic, 

 and the caging of wild birds were other 

 subjects brought forward, the latter being 

 dealt with b}- the President, Miss Clifton, and 

 Miss Damer Dawson. 



Letters of regret at inability to attend were 

 read from Earl Curzon, K.G., Viscount Grey, 

 K.G., Lord Desborough, Lord Methuen, and 

 others. 



A full report of the proceedings will as 

 usual be issued with the Annual Report. 



COUNCIL MEETING. 



The first Council meeting of the year was 

 held on January 24th, 1919, at the Guild- 

 hall, Westminster, Mr. Montagu Sharpe, 

 Chairman, presiding. There were also pre- 

 sent : ]\Ir. Bell, Miss Clifton, Dr. Drewitt, 

 Miss Hall, Hon. Mrs. Henniker, Mr. F. E. 

 Lemon (Hon. Sec), IVIrs. Lemon, and Miss 

 Pollock, and the Secretary (Miss Gardiner). 

 The Hon. Secretary reported the death 

 of Mr. Milnes Gaskell, a Vice-President of 

 the Society, and it was agreed to place on 

 the minutes a record of the gi'eat regret of 

 the Council at the loss sustained by the 

 cause. Nine lectures had been given since 



December 10th, and twenty-four Bird-and- 

 Tree Festivals held. 



The Finance and General Purposes Com- 

 mittee presented the accounts for the year 

 1918. The following Fellows and Members 

 were elected : — 



Fellows : The Earl of Selborne, K.G., Colonel - 

 Bibby, Maclver Buchanan, Miss Marj' H. F. 

 Chaoman, Miss Cruddas, Captain M. H. S. Good- 

 liffe," J. M. Howell, W. R. Price. 



Members : Mrs. Barnett, Alec M. Butcher, 

 Miss O. M. Clay, IMrs. Clements, Robert Cruik- 

 shank, John Edmondson, Edward L. Gardner, 

 Miss E. Glover, Dr. P. G. Griffith, Samuel Henry, 

 Miss E. R. Hughes, Lewis Jones, John Mason, 

 Mrs. Oldfield, Miss Podmore, Miss K. Spear-Smith, 

 Ian Sykes-Maclean, Mrs. Curtis F. Thomson. 



Correspondence with the Board of Trade 

 and with Dr. Hornaday on the plumage 

 question was read, also letters relating to 

 the destruction of sea-birds off the coast. 

 Dr. Hornaday again urged the employment 

 of disabled soldiers and of women and girls 

 in the making of embroidery for millinery, 

 to replace feathers. Attention was drawn 

 to an article in the Bulletin of the Ligue 

 Francaise, regarding the steps to be taken 

 for preventing another commercial invasion 

 by Germany, and the need for providing 

 everything in the way of nesting-boxes, 

 baths for birds, food and food-stands, etc., 

 that might formerly have been imported 

 from Germany or Austria. Some discus- 

 sion took place respecting the economic 

 position of the Little Owl ; and various 

 other matters were considered. 



OBITUARY. 



The death of the Right Hon. C. G. Milnes 

 Gaskell, which took place on January 9th, has 

 deprived the Society of a Vice-President 

 who was a staunch and liberal supporter 

 of the work. Joining the Society in 1898 

 as a Life Member, he gave for years an 

 annual donation of £20 or £25 to the 

 Watchers Fund, to which he was the largest 

 contributor, and he took deep interest in its 

 efforts for the protection of the rare birds 

 of Britain. Mr. Milnes Gaskell, who was 

 76 years of age, was Chairman of the West 

 Riding County Council. 



