44 



Bird Notes and News 



The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. 



COUNCIL MEETING. 

 The Council held their quarterly meeting on 

 April 11th, at the Guildhall, Westminster, 

 Mr. Montagu Sharpe (Chairman) presiding. 



The Hon. Secretary's Report alluded regret- 

 fully to the death of Mrs. Close, recorded the 

 Annual Meeting of the Society, and stated that 

 21 lectures had been given and 14 Bird and 

 Tree Festivals held. An amended Order for 

 the West Riding of Yorkshire had been issued, 

 protecting the Lapwing all the year and also its 



The Finance and General Purposes Com- 

 mittee submitted the accounts for the first 

 quarter of 1919, and dealt with the usual 

 financial business. The following Fellows and 

 Members were elected : — 



Fellows : Mrs. Bibbv, L. F. Crawshay, Right Hon. 

 Sir Rennell Rodd, P. S. F. Stubbs. 



Members : Miss Banon, Miss M. K. Buchanan, 

 Frank Burgess, Alfred T. Calvert, Thomas Colgate, 

 Miss Colville, Miss Crosbie, Miss Damer Dawson, 

 Captain J. C. Eales-White, Miss Elphinstone, Miss E. 

 Elphinstone, A. H. Goldfinch, Miss F. Gundry, J. H. 

 Mason, Colonel H. A. R. May, C.B., Mrs. May, John 

 Tidy, R. LI. Turner, Mrs. Baillie Weaver. 



A sympathetic vote of thanks was passed 

 to Miss Newmarch, on resigning, through ill- 

 health, the Hon. Secretaryship for Branksome 

 Park, Bournemouth, which she had held since 

 1903 ; and Miss L. G. Lockharfc-Ross, Sefton 

 Hall, was elected in her place. 



The Watchers' Committee presented their 

 Report, summarised in the Spring Number of 

 Bird Notes and News, and circulated in full 

 among subscribers to the Fund. 



F.-M. Lord Methuen, G.C.B., G.C.V.O., to 

 whom is so largely owing the amended Bird 

 Protection law for Malta, and H.E. Sir Rennell 

 Rodd, G.C.M.G., G.C.V.O., one of the Society's 

 earliest sympathisers, were elected Vice- 

 Presidents. The Standing Committees were 

 elected for the year. Among the matters 

 discussed were the necessity for prohibiting 

 shooting from aircraft, the kilUng of rare birds, 

 and the preservation of HeUgoland as an 

 observation station and bird sanctuary. With 

 regard to Heligoland, a letter in support was 

 read from Dr. Hornaday, of New York. A 

 letter was received from' the Secretary of the 

 Ligue Fran9aise pour la Protection des Oiseaux, 

 annoimcing that they proposed to confer 



upon the Duchess of Portland, as President 

 of the R.S.P.B., the Grand Medal of Isidore- 

 Geoffroy-Saint-Hilaire, the highest honour at 

 their disposal. 

 . Next meeting of Council, July 18th. 



OBITUARY. 



Though it was rarely indeed that the late 

 Mr. H. A. Paynter, of Alnwick, was able to 

 attend meetings of the R.S^P.B. or its Council, 

 his work for the protection of birds was of the 

 utmost value to the Society's cause and to 

 naturalists in general. Honorary Secretary 

 and Treasurer of the Fame Islands Association, 

 and for practical purposes the Association in 

 himself, Mr. Paynter ensured the preser\'ation 

 of the Terns (Roseate, Sandwich and Arctic), 

 Eider Ducks, Razorbills, Puffins, Guillemots, 

 Cormorants, and other sea-birds haunting this 

 group of islands. But for vigilant watching, 

 it is fairly certain that the most interesting 

 of the Fame birds would long ago have 

 disappeared into the maw of the collector. 



Mr. Paynter was elected a Member of the 

 Council in 1904, when its increased numbers 

 permitted the addition of non-attending workers. 

 He died at Yeovil on May 16th, in his 

 74th year. 



Dr. Joseph Wiglesworth, a well-known 

 ornithologist, one of whose latest papers on 

 Bird-Protection is quoted on another page, 

 met with his death under tragic circumstances 

 on the cliffs near Porlock, on May 16th, when 

 climbing to find a Peregrine's nest. He was 

 President of the ornithological section of the 

 Somerset Archaeological and Natural History 

 Society, and author of a book on the " Birds 

 of St. Kilda," and of numerous papers. 



WHITSUNTIDE HOLIDAYS. 



Anticipating the high-water mark of " bird- 

 nesting " and bird-destruction which is 

 synonymous with the AVhitsuntide holidays, 

 the Society addressed a circular letter to 

 Chief Constables, asking for the enforcement 

 of Orders for protection of birds and eggs, 

 and the cautioning of children. Courteous 

 replies promising help were received. Letters 

 begging a few straight words on the subject 

 from preachers and teachers were also sent to 

 reliffious and school weeklies. 



