BIRD NOTES AND NEWS. 



23 



ucT Bird and Tree (Arbor) Day. .^(cr 



School teachers and all who are interested 

 in the promotion of Nature Study and humane 

 education in Elementary Schools, are reminded 

 that in addition to the eight County Challenge 

 Shield Competitions, and the Inter-County 

 Challenge Shield Competition, there is now an 

 Open Class for School Teams of any County. 

 Our readers are asked to make this knowTi as 

 widely as possible, in order to extend the 

 good work done by this means. Full 

 particulars can be had from the Society's 

 Office, and entries, with lists of Cadets from 

 among whom the Teams are formed, should 

 be sent in on the entry- forms supplied, not 

 later than October 1st, 1910. Work done 

 for the interim competitions should be 

 forwarded by August 1st. 



Among the Bird and Tree Festivals held 

 since the Spring Number of Bird Notes and 

 News was published, that of the Alfred 

 Street School, Rushden, must be mentioned, 

 as this School is the first winner of the 

 Northamptonshire Shield. The celebration 

 took place early in May, when in the unavoid- 

 able absence of Mr. Allebone, donor of the 

 Shield, the presentation was made by Mr. 

 John Claridge, a member of the County 



Education Committee and of the Rushden 

 Sub-Committee. Books to the value of 

 30s. were given by the Committee and medals 

 by the R.S.P.B. 



Successful festivals have also been held at 

 Middleton (Warwickshire Challenge Shield) 

 Coombe Hay (where the Festival was in- 

 corporated with the opening of fine new 

 schools), Greystoke, Fellside (Cumberland), 

 Clophill (Bedfordshire), Bitterne Park Girls' 

 School (Hampshire), Harbury (Warwickshire) 

 and elsewhere. 



A nature study fete, arranged by Mrs. 

 Suckling, was held in the charming grounds 

 of High wood, near Romsey, on June 11th, 

 and served to introduce Hampshire's win- 

 ning team (Sholing) to representatives from 

 many neighbouring schools. About three 

 hundred and fifty guests were present. The 

 County Director of Education (Mr. D. T. 

 Cowan) gave a most interesting address, 

 some report of which will, it is hoped, appear 

 in the next number of Bird Notes and 

 News, and other speakers included Mrs. 

 Suckling, Mr. Ernest Bell and the Mayor of 

 Romsey. 



IN THE COURTS. 



THE TRAFFIC IN WILD BIRDS. 



Appeai, Case. 



A TEST case to determine the reading of certain 

 clauses of the Wild Birds Protection Acts was heard 

 in the King's Bench Division on May 25th, 1910, 

 by the Lord Chief Justice of England, ]\Ir. Justice 

 Channell, and IMr. Justice Coleridge. 



At Old Street Police Court, on November 11th 

 last, John Flower, dealer in birds, 88, Sclater Street, 

 Shoreditch, was summoned by the R.S.P.C.A. for 

 having in his possession twenty-six Larks, birds 

 protected all the year in the County of London. 

 The defence was that the birds were caught in 

 Cambridgeshire, where they were not protected, 

 •and that therefore by the provisions of 44 & 45 

 Vict., c. 51, no offence was committed. The Act 



of 1881 referred to is an amending Act, and lays 

 down that no person shall be convicted for the sale 

 or possession of any wild bird " recently killed " 

 if he satisfies the Covu-t that the " killing " of such 

 bird was lawful at the time when and by the person 

 by whom it was " killed," or that the bird was 

 " killed " in some i:ilace to which the Act does not 

 extend. It was contended for the prosecution 

 that this clause did not apply to the possession of 

 live birds. The Stipendiary Magistrate con\icted 

 Flower, finmg hun 10s. and 2s. costs. An appeal 

 was entered, and a considerable sum was subscribed 

 by the trade to fight the matter. 



In the High Coiu-t, the appellant's comisel argued 

 not onty that the Act of 1881 reUeved Flower, but 

 that he was also cleared by section 8 of the Act of 

 1880. This section provides for the extension and 

 varying of the time for the kilUng and taking of 



