58 



BIRD NOTES AND NEWS. 



reform and philanthropy of all kinds, so 

 commonly is it misapplied by those who 

 confound sentiment with sentimentality. 

 So far as the crusade against feathered 

 millinery is concerned, the "sentimentalists" 

 may be well content to be numbered with 

 Newton, Howard Saunders and Lord Lilford, 

 Mr. Dresser, Dr. Sclater and Mr. Harvie- 

 Brown, the Duke of Bedford, the Duke of 

 Rutland and Lord Avebury, Sir Edward Grey, 

 Sir Herbert Maxwell, the late Sir Henry 

 Stanley, Ruskin, and Herbert Spencer. A 

 correspondent calls to mind that the author 

 of the " Histor}'- of Rationalism," like the 

 author of "First Principles," is also among 

 the " sentimentalists." In his " Map of 

 Life," W. E. Lecky wrote : — 



" It is melancholy to observe how often sensitive 

 women who object to field sjiorts, and who denoLince 

 all experiments on living animals, will be fovmd 

 supporting with iierfect callousness fashions that 

 are leading to the wholesale destruction of some 

 of the most beautiful species of birds, and are, in 

 some cases, dei^endent upon acts of very aggravated 

 cruelty." 



"OSPREYS" ON THE STAGE. 



The stage is so largely accejated as the 

 model for ladies' fashions that regretful 

 mention was made at the Society's annual 

 meeting of a picture which appeared in one 

 of the newspapers, of an actress at the Gaiety 

 Theatre who was described as wearing a hat 

 trimmed with £50 worth of " ospreys." The 

 matter was subsequently brought to the 

 notice of Mr. George Edwardes, and a 

 courteous reply has been received from him, 

 stating that he generally leaves such details 

 to his stage-manager, " but now that his 

 attention has been drawn to the fact, he will 

 see that osprey plumes are not used in 

 future." 



BIRDS IN THE PARK. 



While owners of private parks and gardens 

 have so widely adopted the suggestion of 

 nesting-boxes for wild birds, that the- Tits 



and Nuthatches of the land must be rejoicing 

 in thousands of happy homes this spring, 

 public authorities are slower to follow 

 German example. There are many public 

 parks, converted from private grounds, 

 where the thinning-out of old trees and the 

 general tidying-up which seems hopelessly 

 inherent in officialdom, has left hole-building 

 species without a retreat, and other species 

 without cover to build in. Owls which might 

 be tempted to remain by provision of 

 suitable sheltered boxes, are cooped behind 

 wire netting ; small birds are driven out 

 because neither nesting-places nor food are 

 left to them, and are miserably represented 

 by a few caged prisoners. On the other hand, 

 there are towns where the song and flight 

 of wild birds are valued as an attraction to 

 public gardens, and a pleasure to visitors ; 

 among them is Buxton, in whose gardens 

 nesting-boxes have been put up on the 

 initiative of Alderman Hubbersty, and where, 

 next winter, it is probable that food-bells or 

 tables will vie with the bounty of the bath- 

 chairmen, who entertain bird parties at 

 their shelters. The birds of London's great 

 park will this year miss their enthusiastic 

 old friend and tamer. Colonel Columb. 



THE RETURN OF THE MIGRANTS. 



March 25th is the date which Nature 

 calendars appoint for the return of the 

 Wheatear, though the B.O.C. Bulletin tells 

 us that one bird reached the South Foreland 

 Lighthouse on March 8th in 1909. Ahnost 

 as soon we begin to look, or to listen, for 

 Chiffchaff and Willow-Wren, and during 

 April for the full tide of the summer migra- 

 tion. It used to be a custom to speak of 

 species that are seen throughout the year as 

 the faithful birds which stay to cheer our 

 winters. Far more striking is the faithfuhiess 

 to the old home which brings the migrants 

 back in spring. As Mr. Wade, of the Hull 



