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Bird Notes and News 



but some time afterwards he again visited 

 my uncle, and he told me he had let the little 

 birds free." 



To this it may be added that many 

 hundreds of schoolchildren have signed the 

 Society's Freedom Leaflets, pledging them- 

 selves not to keep wild birds in cages. 



IN THE COURTS. 



Shooting a Heron. — At New Mills 

 (Derbyshire), on March 24th, Harry Brockle- 

 hurst, farmer, was ordered to pay the costs, 

 £1 17s., for shooting a Heron, a bird 

 scheduled by the County Order. From a 

 statement made by Mr. Sydney Livesley in 

 the local paper, it appeared that he and 

 defendant saw a big bird on the river bank 

 and tossed up as to who should have a 

 shot at it. Defendant won the toss, and 

 potted what the two men imagined to be 

 " a very rare specimen of fish-heron." The 

 attention of the police was called to the 

 case by the R.S.P.B., with the result stated. 



Taking Goldfinches. — At Talgarth 

 (Breconshire), on January 8th, William 

 Richards and Richard Morris, two Merthyr 

 colliers, were convicted of catching Gold- 

 finches with birdlime. They had five call- 

 birds and had caught four birds. They said 

 they were only taking a few to breed from. 

 The inspector stated that there was great 

 difficulty in detecting these cases, and the 

 wild birds of the county were growing scarce 

 through bird-catchers coming into the district. 

 The Chairman (Mr. E. Butler) said they were 

 bound to suppress this business. Not only 

 was it great cruelty to wild birds to put them 

 in cages, but the county was being deprived 

 of some of its most beautiful species. Morris, 

 who gave a wrong name, was fined 30s., and 

 Richards 20s., nets to be forfeited. 



Soldiers and Wild Birds. — At Witliam, 

 two professional bird-catchers were fined 14s. 

 each for cruelty to decoy Linnets. The case 

 was proved by Captain Burlingham and 

 Privates Kew and Cottis,of the 8th Worcester 

 Regiment, stationed at Maldon. Defendants 

 were seen catching birds in a net, the decoys 

 being tied to a peg, frightened and fluttering. 

 Captain Burlingham told them to stop it and 

 go, as the men of his company were indignant 



at the cruelty practised. Private Collis let 

 some of the tied birds free, but others were 

 exhausted and when produced dead in court 

 were mere skeletons. One of the defendants 

 said he had been a catcher for 30 years and 

 never had a charge brought against him 

 before ; the linnets were caught to protect the 

 seed industry. The Chairman said the treat- 

 ment of the decoys was utterly cruel and could 

 not be allowed ; if defendants came before 

 him again the penalty would not be a matter 

 of a few shillings fine only. He thanked the 

 soldiers for bringing forward the case. 



ON LIBERATING 

 CAGED BIRDS. 



By W. H. HUDSON, F.Z.S. 



Reprinted from Bird NOTES AND NEWS, with Illustra 

 tions in Colour by H GronVOLD. 



Price Id. ; one dozen copies, 9d. 



ROYAL SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION 

 OF BIRDS, 



23, Queen Anne's Gate, S.W. 



MY BIRD AND MY TREE. 



SPRING LETTER TO 

 BIRD & TREE CADETS. 



Price 3d. per dozen. 



Free to Schools entering for the Bird & Tree 

 Competitions. 



Bird Notes and News (issued quarterly) will 

 be sent post free to any address for Is. per annum, 

 payable in advance ; single numbers, 3d. 



To Members of the Society subscribing 5s. and 

 upwards per annum it is forwarded gratis and post 

 free. 



Printed by Witherbv & Co., 326, High Hqlborn, W.C., and 

 published by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds 

 23, Queen Anne's Gate S.W 



