60 



Bird Notes and News 



The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. 



COUNCIL MEETING. 



The Couucil met at the Guildhall, Westminster, 

 on October 17th, 1919, Mr. Montagu Sharpe, 

 Chairman, presiding. There were also present : 

 Mr. H. G. Alexander, Mr. Bell, Miss Chfton, 

 Dr. Drewitt, Hon. Mrs. Henuiker, Mr. W. H. 

 Hudson, Mr. F. E. Lemon (Hon. Sec), Mrs. 

 Lemon, Miss Pollock, Miss Gardiner (Secretary), 

 and, on leave from Egypt, Mr. J. L. Bonhote. 



The Hon. Secretary reported the deputation 

 from the Society to the President of the Board 

 of Trade, on the Plumage question, and the 

 issue of the Report of the Departmental 

 Committee on Bird Protection : both of which 

 matters were dealt with in the Autumn Number 

 of Bird Notes and News. In response to the 

 Society's letter urging fuller protection for the 

 Lapwing, the following counties had obtained 

 Orders protecting the bird all the year and 

 also prohibiting entirely the taking of its eggs : 

 Berkshire, Bucks, Cornwall, Northampton, 

 Surrey, and Carmarthen (all dated August 

 30th), and Warwick (August 17th). There was 

 a prospect of further Orders of similar character. 

 Hampshire had an\ended its Order so as to 

 ])rotect the bird all the year, the eggs being 

 protected after April 30th (August 28th). 

 Orders had also been issued for West Sussex 

 (renewal for five years from September 25th), 

 Queen's County and Kerry. Reports on the 

 Bird and Tree Competition were received. 

 A hearty vote of thanks was passed to Mr. 

 Archibald Thorburn for having again given the 

 Society one of his charming bird-pictures — a 

 Ringed Plover and young — for its greeting-card, 

 1919-20. 



The Finance and General Purposes Com- 

 mittee presented the quarterly accounts, and 

 it was announced that a donation of £100 had 

 been received to assist the anti-plumage cam- 

 paign. Mr. W. Kennedy had resigned the 

 Hon. Secretaryship for Haileybury, on finally 

 retiring from the College. Mr. Kennedy is one 

 of the oldest friends of the Society, becoming 

 an Hon. Secretary in 1894, and he gave 

 invaluable help when the lecture scheme was 

 started. Mr. WiUiam Watson had become 

 Hon. Secretary for the Chard District of 

 Somerset. The following Fellows and Members 

 were elected : — 



Fellows : T. L. Bradley, Mrs. T. L. Bradley, G. C. 

 Clayton, Mrs. Donisthorpe, W. J. Fieldlaouse, C.B.E., 



Miss Agnes Nix, Dr. Amelia le Pelley, Mrs. Slade- 

 Baker, Mrs. Waite, Professor Ernest Warren (Natal 

 Museum). 



Members : Admiral Lewis Bayly, Sirs. E. Blandy, 

 Miss F. Costain, Mrs. C. W. Catt, R. C. Dunn, Mrs. 

 Ellsworth-Turner, H. D. Fairrie, Mrs. R. B. Glen, Mies 

 W. B. Godfrey, Miss Thora James, T. C. Jeffrey, Mrs. 

 Arnold Jones, Miss A. F. S. Kentish, Miss Lilian 

 Macara, Miss F. Maddern, John S. Masterman, Sir 

 Raymond Menendez, Clifton Mitchell, Miss Morey, 

 Mrs. R. Nelson, Robert B. Oxley, Miss Orvida de Pass, 

 Ven. John Perham, Miss Robinson, Miss Constance 

 Ryves, Miss Elsie Stevens, H. B. Tumey, P. Vernon- 

 Dodd, M.D., W. Strang-Watkins, William Watson, 

 Captain T. A. NeiU Watson, M.D., M.C., C. B. Wlielan, 

 Miss E. M. Whelan, Miss Marion Wilson. 



Life Members : Dan Cave, Mrs. Rose-Innes. 



In the course of discussion on the Home 

 Office Committee's Report on the Bird Pro- 

 tection laws, a letter was read from Sir George 

 Kekewich, criticising the composition of the 

 schedules suggested, and commenting on the 

 clauses dealing with bird-catching. A letter 

 had been received from the Society for the 

 Protection of Animals and Plants of Catalonia, 

 strongly urging that steps should be taken to 

 bring the subject of International Protection 

 for Birds before the League of Nations. It was 

 agreed that every effort should be made to 

 forward the matter as soon as the League was 

 well established ; and the question was 

 referred to the Watchers' Committee. 



Discussion took place with regard to the 

 possible use of the cinema for propagandist 

 work ; to the vague programme of a recently 

 started society for dealing with " agricultural 

 and other pests " : and to the protection of 

 birds in certain areas. 



The Council met again on December 19th to 

 receive the statement of accounts for October 

 and November, and to discuss various special 

 questions, including the prospective Plumage 

 Bill, and a much-needed measure to prohibit 

 the sale of Plovers' eggs at the time when the 

 taking of them is ])rohibited. It was reported 

 that Glamorgan had obtained an Order 

 (November 20tb, 1919) fully protecting both 

 the Lapwing and its eggs ; also that eleven 

 lectures had been given. The following addi- 

 tional Fellows and Members were elected : — 



Fellows : Hon. Lady Barrington, Miss Chawner, 

 A. Townshend Cobbold, Andrews Crompton, Mrs. 

 Drabble, Mrs. Patrick Hadow, Miss M. Maud Herbert, 

 Mrs. Russell Naylor, Colonel Pinkham, M.P., Maurice 



