BIRD NOTES AND NEWS. 



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Notes. 



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The DESTRUCTION of PLUME=BIRDS. 

 It is probable that a Bill will shortly be 

 introduced into Parliament with the object 

 of preventing the destruction of wild birds for 

 their plumage. A conference on the subject, 

 called by Lord Avebury, was held on March 

 13th, when representatives were present from 

 the British Museum (Natural History Depart- 

 ment), Royal Society, Linnean Society, 

 Zoological Society, Selborne Society, and the 

 Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. 

 The general provisions of the proposed Bill 

 were practically agreed upon. 



BIRD PROTECTION IN AUSTRALIA. 



At the annual meeting of the Australasian 

 Ornithologists' Union, held at Sydney on 

 October 29th, 1907, Mr. Campbell, •„ vice- 

 president, read a paper on " Bird Protection in 

 the Old World," in which he reviewed the steps 

 taken in Europe for the protection of buds 

 useful to agriculture, and strongly urged the 

 necessity for similar measures for the benefit 

 of the farmers and fruit-growers of Australia. 

 No insecticide, he remarked, was so cheap as 

 the natural one — birds. Mr. Mattingley, the 

 secretary, dealt with the destruction of Egrets, 

 as viewed from a utilitarian standpoint, laving 

 stress on the utility of these birds. An ex- 

 cellent suggestion was made that a Model Bird 

 Protection Law should be prepared by the 

 Union, such as the Audubon Societies drew up 

 for the United States of America. 



IN CANADA. 



The Society for Nature Study and Bird 

 Protection, which has made a successful start 

 in Hamilton, Canada, is a welcome addition 

 to the bird protection societies of the British 

 Empire, and will, it may be hoped, spread to 

 other parts of the Dominion, and. in the 

 words of the prospectus, " build up a strong 

 organization for the protection of our Canadian 



birds." Its president, Mr. J. F. Ballard, and 

 its secretary, Mr. H. C. Merrilees, are both 

 members of the Royal Society for the Pro- 

 tection of Birds, and its aims and objects are 

 such as have the sympathy of every adherent 

 of the home Association, namely : — 



First : To discourage the wanton destruction of 

 birds, their nests and eggs, and to encourage in 

 its place an intelligent interest in living birds. 



Second : To discourage the purchase or use of 

 any plumage other than that of domesticated fowls 

 or the ostrich. 



Third : To disseminate information respecting 

 the economic value of birds to agriculture, and 

 their importance to man's welfare. 



THE BALANCE OF NATURE. 



A better Bird and Tree sermon could scarcely 

 be preached than that provided by the report 

 on the Larch Sawfly presented to the Man- 

 chester Corporation by Professor Gordon 

 Hewitt. The importance of Trees to water 

 supply, and of Birds to Trees, is clearly set 

 forth. Incident all} T , the report furnishes a 

 suggestive lesson as to the care which may 

 well be exercised in dealing with any of 

 Nature's arrangements. Useful small birds 

 have been kept down in number by, among 

 other causes, the numbers of the Hawk tribe 

 in the region. The Hawks are, however, 

 valuable in keeping down the numbers of 

 mice, Avhicli attack seedlings and young trees. 

 Yet again, the mice, and, especially, shrews. 

 are useful in feeding on insect cocoons, which 

 are commonly refused by birds, who eat the 

 larvae. Thus, the small birds, mice, and Hawks 

 have each their place in Nature's economy. 



TREE PLANTING AT HARROW. 



Harrow School, though it has not yet adopted 

 Bird and Arbor Day , has given special encourage- 

 ment to afforestation since 1879. Any Har- 

 rovian who makes 50 runs in a bond fide school 

 cricket match is entitled to plant a tree in the 

 Philathletic field on the Roxeth side of the hill. 

 Eighty-two trees attest the prowess of batsmen 

 during twenty-eight years. 



