112 



Bird Notes and News 



SINGING CONTESTS. 



Letters from Mr. F. A. Cox and Mr. Jerome 

 K. Jerome have appeared in many London 

 and provincial papers protesting against the 

 conditions under which wild birds are caught 

 and kept for public-house singing contests. 



The Westminster Gazette comments : " Mr. 

 Jerome K. Jerome's vigorous appeal on 

 behalf of the birds who are torn from our 

 hedges, carried captive into the slums, and 

 there kept in darkness in tiny cages, allowing 

 them not even room to expand their wings, 

 for the purpose of developing their powers 

 as competitors at beer-house ' singing con- 

 tests,' will have many supporters. 



"It is a brutal business, and Mr. Jerome 

 will have the sympathy of all right-minded 

 people in the plea which he makes for its 

 suppression." 



IN THE COURTS. 



Caged Larks as a " Nuisance." — At 

 Brentford, on July 22nd, James R. Holder, 

 Waldeck Road, Ealing, was summoned for 

 keeping two Larks so as to be a nuisance. 

 The complainants were neighbours who, as 

 provided by the bye-laws, signed and sent 

 a notice of complaint to defendant, but 

 with no result. They stated in court that 

 the song was not natural or like that of birds 

 in the air, but was sharp, continuous, and 

 irritating, like a cry of distress. They did 

 not object to wild birds, nor to children, nor 

 to the seven dogs kept in the neighbourhood ; 

 but the incessant noise of the Larks was so 

 annoying they could not sit in their gardens. 

 One complainant said he had called at 

 defendant's house, but owing to the reception 

 he met with did not go again ; and the 

 nuisance was objected to last year, but 

 defendant took no notice of the objection. 

 Defendant said he had kept caged Skylarks 

 since he was a boy, and his birds were in 

 cages three times as high as the ordinary 

 ones and were a perfect picture. He had 

 one bird for 17 years, and then it was killed 

 by mice. — The Chairman regretted that 

 the complaint had not been made at first 

 in a neighbourly way, but the nuisance existed 

 and the fine would be 5s. ; if it was not 

 abated the penalty might be £5. No lover 

 of birds would keep a Skylark or other wild 

 bird in a cage. 



Poisoned Grain. — At Talgarth, the 

 R.S.P.C.A. secured a conviction against a 

 farmer and his son, of the parish of 

 Llandefalle, for placing poisoned grain on 

 his land. A number of dead Rooks and 

 small birds were picked up on the land, 

 and were found to have eaten grain im- 

 pregnated with strychnine. A fine of £2 

 was imposed in each case. 



Taking Eider Ducks' Eggs. — At North 

 Berwick, on June 19th, three youths were 

 fined, one 10s. and two 5s. each, for taking 

 Eider-duck eggs on Tyninghame Bents. 



NESTING BOXES. 



Revised Catalogue of Nesting-Boxes AND 



Food-Tables for Wild Birds will be ready 



shortly. 



ALL BRITISH MADE. 



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 Withekby & Co., 326, High Holborn, W.C., and 

 published by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds 

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



