54 



Bird Notes and News 



Sir Auckland to look through the signatures 

 and trusting that the question would meet 

 with his sympathy. 



Sir Auckland Geddes, in reply, said the 

 subject was no new one to him ; he had taken 

 great interest in it for many years. He would 

 assure the deputation that so long as these 

 restrictions were possible, the Board would 

 take very good care that such restrictions on 

 feathers whose importation was objectionable 

 would be retained. Without being able to give 

 any definite promise he hoped they would 

 get legislation, not within this calendar year, 

 but possibly at the beginning of next. 



The Duchess of Portland having thanked 

 the President for receiving them, the DejJuta- 

 tion withdrew. 



MEMORIAL TO THE GOVERNMENT. 



The following is the text of the Memorial 

 addressed to the Prime Minister and to the 

 President of the Board of Trade on behalf of 

 the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds 

 and of the signatories, and joresented by Mr. 

 Montagu Sharpe on the occasion of the 

 deputation from the Society to Sir Auckland 

 Geddes : — 



Before the war many millions of wild birds' skins 

 were annually imported into England for the plume 

 trade. 



Unless immediate action is taken some of the hand- 

 somest birds of the world will be exterminated iu the 

 near future. 



The horrors and barbarities of this traflic have 

 been constantly exj^osed by distinguished men in 

 every walk of life. It is known, for instance, that 

 wounded birds are used as decoys ; and that the 

 shoulder-tufts of the Egret are frequently torn from 

 the living bird, which, of necessity, is slain during the 

 breeding season, so that the young are left to starve 

 in thousands. 



It has been shown that the loss to retail trader and 

 worker which would follow upon the suppression of 

 this traffic would be negligible. So rapid, indeed, 

 is the process of destruction now going on that the 

 trade will be brought to an end automatically and 

 at no distant date. The increase of substitute 

 decorations, consequent upon the prohibition of the 

 plume trade, would not only prevent individual 

 hardshiiJ, but, as investigations indicate, would 

 actually increase openings for labour. 



We are of opinion that the survival of a traffic 

 provocative of so much evil cannot in any way be 

 justified. Such vandalism is comparable only with 

 that which finds satisfaction in destroying a cathedral 

 or any other work of art. 



Australia and the United States have prohibited 

 both the import and the export of such feathers ; 

 furthermore, the export of wild bird plumage from 

 British India and most of the Crown Colonies has been 

 forbidden. 



We desire to prevent the slaughter of all birds for 

 the sake of the plumassier. We therefore demand 

 that a Bill prohibiting the importation of wild birds' 

 skins and feathers, similar to that which passed its 

 second reading in 1914, be brought before the House 

 of Commons immediately such action is possible. 

 The Bill of 1914 was a Government measure, was 

 introduced by the Right Hon. Charles E. Hobhouse 

 on February 13th, and read a second time on March 

 8th by 297 votes to 15. 



The signatures appended were those of : 



The Duke of Rutland, K.G., the Marquess of 

 Aberdeen and Temair, K.T., G.C.M.G., G.C.V.O., 

 the Marquess of Crewe, K.G., F.S.A., the Earl of 

 Durham, K.G., G.C.V.O., the Earl of Eldon, D.L., 

 Lord Lilford, Lord Lambourne, C.V.O., the Earl of 

 Lonsdale, D.L., Earl Loreburn, G.C.M.G., Lord 

 Montagu of Beaulieu, C.S.L, Lord Tennyson, G.C.M.G., 

 Lord Henry Cavendish-Bentinck. 



The Bishop of Hereford, the Dean of St. Paul's 

 (Dr. Inge), the Dean of Exeter (Very Rev. H. R. 

 Gamble), the Dean of Manchester (Bishop 

 Weldon, D.D.). 



The Right Hon. F. D. Acland, M.P., William Archer, 

 Sir Godfrey Baring, Ernest Bell, Max Beerholm, 

 Arnold Bennett, Sir Frank Benson, Lawrence Binyon, 

 Wilfred Scawen Blunt, Robert Bridges, M.B., D.Litt. 

 (Poet Laureate), H. N. Brailsford, Frank Brangwyn, 

 A.R.A., President R.B.A., Ivor Brown, A. H. BuUen, 

 Lieut. -Colonel Allan Burgoyne, F.R.G.S., Noel Buxton, 

 Edward Carpenter, Cecil Chapman, J.P., the Rev. 

 John Clifford, D.D., B.Sc, G. K. Chesterton, Arthur 

 Clutton-Brock, the Right Hon. J. R. Clynes, M.P., 

 the Hon. Sir John Cockburn, K.C.M.G., Joseph 

 Conrad, Sir Martin Conway, F.S.A., F.R.G.S., W. L. 

 Courtney (Editor of Fortnighthj Review), Brig. -General 

 H. Page Croft, C.M.G., M.P. 



W. H. Davies, Professor Dendy, D.Sc, F.R.S., 

 F.Z.S. (London University), J. Lowes Dickinson, 

 Austin Dobson, LL.D., Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Kt., 

 James Douglas (Editor of The Star), John Drinkwater, 

 W. L. H. Duckworth, M.D., D.Sc. 



Jacob Epstein, A. W. Evans (Editor of Everyman), 

 C. E. Fagan, Secretary, British Museum (Natural 

 History), the Rev. Archibald Flemmg, D.D., Sir 

 Johnston Forbes-Robertson, Kt. 



John Galsworthy, Professor F. W. Gamble, D.Sc, 

 F.R.S., J. L. Garvin (Editor of The Observer), Sir 

 Patrick Geddes (University Hall, Edinburgh), Edmund 

 Gosse, C.B., LL.D. 



Alfred C. Haddon, D.Sc, F.R.S., F.R.G.S., Sir 

 Rider Haggard, Kt., J. P., J. L. Hammond, Thomas 

 Hardy, O.M., S. F. Harmer, D.Sc, Director, British 

 Museum (Natural History), Martin Harvey, F.R.S.L., 

 Carl Hentschel, C.C, Maurice Hewlett, Robert S. 

 Hichens, Professor Sydney F. Hickson, F.R.S. (Man- 

 chester University), the Right Hon. Sir Charles E. 

 Hobhouse, Bart., J.P., Ralph Hodgson, J. M. 

 Hogge, M.P., Lawrence Housman, W. H. Hudson, 

 F.Z.S. 



Professor L. P. Jacks (Editor of Hibbert's Journal), 

 Sir Thomas Graham Jackson, Bart., R.A., Jerome 

 K. Jerome, Augustus John, Sir Harry Johnston, 

 K.C.B., D.Sc, G.C.M.G. 



