BIRD NOTES AND NEWS. 



37 



in the Isle of Wight, Anglesey, Aberdeen- 

 shire, the Shetland*, Cornwall, Surrey, and 

 elsewhere, and the work done ; and on the 

 prosecutions at Lydd and Aberdeen. The 

 efforts made to suppress the use of the pole 

 trap were also reported, together with the 

 prosecutions undertaken by the R.S.P.C.A. 

 General Business. The arrangements for 

 the Autumn Conference were discussed; the 

 work of the inspector employed by the Society 

 during April, May, and June (of which an 

 account appeared in the Summer number of 

 Bird Notes and News) received the ap- 

 proval of the Council, and proposals for 

 obtaining his services in the autumn were 

 considered ; steps to be taken with regard 

 to the Plumage Bill were debated, and other 

 subjects were discussed. 



AUTUMN CONFERENCE. 



A conference of Hon. Local Secretaries 

 and other workers and friends of the Society 

 will be held on Wednesday, October 28th, 

 1908, at the Royal Horticultural Hall, West- 

 minster, S.W. The meeting will not be in 

 any sense a public one, as perfect freedom 

 for discussion among members is desired. 

 Cards of invitation are being forwarded to 

 all Fellows and Members, and will be gladly 

 sent to any of the Associates of the Society 

 who are interested and are able to attend. 

 It is hoped that the Princess Victor of 

 Hohenlohe-Langenburg, the Ranee of Sara- 

 wak, and other Vice-Presidents of the Society 

 will be present. After the conference Mr. 

 Oliver Pike will kindly show some of his 

 cinematograph and other pictures of bird-life. 



EGG-LIFTING. 



Two prosecutions have arisen this season 

 out of the work of Watchers employed by 

 the Royal Society for the Protection of 

 Birds ; both resulted in convictions. 



On July 25th. at Lydd Petty Sessions, 

 J. Frank Peters, of 52, Brown Street, Man- 

 chester, was summoned for taking three 

 eggs of the Common Tern and three eggs of 

 the Blackheaded Gull in an area protected 



by the Kent Bird Protection Order. Mr. R, 

 Thomas, barrister, instructed by Mr. .1. 

 Bannon, prosecuted on behalf of the Royal 

 Society for the Protection of Birds, and 

 defendant, who did not appear, was repre- 

 sented by .Mr. J. T. Wall. Ion. Defendant 

 3een on the beach near Dungeness on 

 .May 28th, in the neighbourhood of some 

 nests, by Dr. Ticehurst and Air. M. ,j. Nicoll, 

 who. when they reached the nests, found that 

 one was empty. A Watcher was sent in 

 pursuit, and the eggs were found in de- 

 fendant's possession. Mr. Peters had been 

 to Dungeness in 1907, and had then obtained 

 permission to visit this breeding area. He 

 had no permission this year, and a notice- 

 board prohibiting the taking of eggs was 

 within a few yards of the robbed nests. Mr. 

 Thomas urged that an example should be 

 made because of the difficulty of detecting 

 offences and the expensive methods of 

 protection needed. — Fined £3, being half the 

 maximum penalty, and £3 3s. costs, the Bench 

 saying that although this was the first case 

 brought before them the egg-taking had 

 been so frequent that they could not deal 

 lightly with it. 



On June 27th, at Aberdeen. William 

 Simpson pleaded guilty to taking four eggs 

 of the Eider Duck from the Links of Collies- 

 ton. He was seen by the Watcher appointed 

 by the Society apparently searching for 

 and was caught in the act of taking them. 

 The Sheriff asked if eggs got in that way 

 were disposed of in the market. The Fiscal. 

 who prosecuted, said this was unquestionably 

 the case, as they were rare and valuable : 

 it was impossible to get at the people who 

 bought them, as the eg<_rs were sent off to 

 London. A fine was imposed in respect of 

 each egg. 



CHRISTMAS CARD. 



The Society's Christinas card for the 

 coming season has been specially painted 

 by Mr. Robert Morlev, whose delightful 

 paintings of animal life are well known. 

 It is entitled " In the Belfry." 



