Bird Notes and News 



17 



The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. 



ANNUAL MEETING. 

 The Society's 23rd Annual Meeting was 

 held on March 5th, 1914, at the West- 

 minster Palace Hotel, S.W., Lord Newton 

 in the chair. The President of the 

 Society, the Duchess of Portland, was 

 also present, and the Vice-Presidents and 

 members of Council attending included 

 the Ranee of Sarawak, the Duchess 

 of Somerset, Sir Herbert Maxwell, 

 Bart., Hon. Mrs. Drewitt, Hon. Mrs. 

 Arthur Henniker, Mr. Montagu Sharpe 

 (Chairman of Council), Sir John Cockburn, 

 Mrs. R. W. Williamson, Miss Clifton, 

 Dr. F. D. Drewitt, Mr. F. E. Lemon 

 (Hon. Secretary), Mrs. F. E. Lemon, 

 Miss Hall, Mr. E. G. B. Meade-Waldo, 

 Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant, and Miss E. L. 

 Turner. Mr. H. E. Dresser, Mr. Hastings 

 Lees, and Captain Tailby were prevented 

 by absence from England, and Mr. W. H. 

 Hudson by ill-health, from being present. 

 There was a large attendance of Fellows 

 and supporters of the Society, including 

 Lord Lilford, Mr. H. Page Croft, M.P., 

 Mr. Laurence Hardy, M.P., Sir Arthur 

 Conan Doyle, Major the Hon. Henry 

 Guest, M.P., Rev. H. R. Gamble, Lady 

 Forester, Countess Hahne, Mrs. Montagu 

 Sharpe, Mrs. Grove Grady, Mr. J. R. B. 

 Masefield, Mr. C. E. Fagan, Mr. W. P. 

 Pycraft, Mr. F. W. Headley, Mr. Richard 

 Curie, Mrs. Hesketh Prichard, Mr. and 

 Mrs. Yorke Smith, Mrs. Burdon, Mrs. 

 and Miss Vaudrey, Miss Winifred Austen, 

 Captain and Mrs. Tunnard, Mrs. Dixon 

 Davies, Mrs. Key, Mrs. Herdman, Miss 

 Emily Smith, Miss Mace, Miss E. G. 

 Woodd, Mrs. Wynnard Hooper, Mr. A. H. 

 H. Matthews, Dr. Graham Renshaw, Mr. 

 J. J. Cash, Hon. Mrs. Egerton Warburton, 

 Hon. Mrs. Lumb, Mrs. Herbert Leaf, 

 Mrs. Willis Bund, Mrs. Sherwood, Mr. 



Spencer Holland, Mr. Harold Russell, 

 Mr. W. T. Lye, Mrs. Walter Baily, 

 Mrs. Charles Lyrell, Miss C. Paterson, 

 Miss I. M. French, Miss L. Macnaghten, 

 Miss Sellon, Miss L. Gardiner (Secretary) 

 and many others. 



Letters were received from all the 

 Vice-Presidents of the Society who were 

 unable to be present, regretting their 

 inability to attend and expressing hearty 

 support of the Plumage Bill. Among 

 the messages sent were the following : — 



From the Earl of Cromer : — 



" I am wholly in favour of the Bill." 

 Earl Curzon of Kedleston — 



" I am sure you will have a very success- 

 ful meeting, and that public opinion will 

 be roused to support the Society in the 

 efforts it is making on behalf of the Plumage 

 Bill. That Bill has many enemies, some 

 open, some concealed, and those who wish 

 to put a stop to the thoughtless but detest- 

 able traffic in the spoils that are torn from 

 the loveliest of God's creatures, must con- 

 centrate all their strength and secure the 

 passage of the Bill into law." 



Earl Lorebtjrn : — 



" I very heartily support the Plumage 

 Bili, and trust that no delay will occur in 

 checking the odious system of which we 

 complain." 



The Right Hon. Sir Edward Grey, 

 Bart., M.P. :— 



" I am very sorry that it is impossible 

 for me to come to the meeting ; I must 

 be in the House of Commons that afternoon 

 at the time when the meeting is to be held. 



"I am, of course, strongly in favour of 

 the Plumage Bill. I cannot see that any 

 of the suggestions that have been made for 

 alternative measures would be as effective 

 as this Bill : indeed, it seems to me that 

 they would all be ineffective. 



"The need for some step to be taken to 

 stop the wholesale killing of birds for the 

 sake of their plumage, especially in the 

 breeding season, is urgent, and the Plumage 



