60 



BIBD NOTES AND NEWS 



IN THE COURTS. 



PoisoKiNG Larks with Strychnine. — At Meth- 

 u'old (Norfolk), on March 7th, Arthur Banham, 

 farmer, and Ernest Walker, labourer, of Feltwell, 

 were charged, the one with aiding and abetting and 

 the other with laying grain poisoned with strychnine 

 on land at Feltwell. The grain was distributed in 

 a stubble field in the occupation of Mr. John Pryor, 

 and was found by the County Analyst to be heavily 

 dosed with strychnine. The case resulted from the 

 susjsicions of a gamekeeper who noticed a trail of 

 corn and some dead Larks. The offence was ad- 

 mitted by Banham, who said that he sent the birds to 

 Leadenhall Market. It was shown that he had sent 

 77 dozen Larks to the Market between January 3rd 

 and January 23rd, all being intended for human 

 consumption. Banham was fined, with costs, 

 £8 2s., or two months' imprisonment in default, 

 and Walker, as the tool of the older man, was fined 

 only 10s. 



BiRDCATCHiNG. — At Havant, on February 11th, 

 William W^iflfin, said to be a professional birdcatcher, 

 was fined Is. and 9s. costs for having in his possession 

 eleven Goldfinches recently caught. He said he 

 had bought the birds from a birdcatcher. [As the 

 possible fine is £1 per bird, it does not appear that 

 the Havant Bench set much value on their Gold- 

 finches.] — Henry Waters, clerk-of -works under the 

 Havant Rural District Council, was also charged 

 with catching Goldfinches. Wiffin said he bought 

 the birds from Waters, who had nets out and told 

 him he caught eleven birds that day, and 86 the 

 previous day. Defendant said he caught birds 

 as a hobby, and on this occasion was out with a 

 friend trying to catch a Siskin, " a rare bird which 

 comes from Russia, and flies once in seven years." 

 The Bench thought there was some doubt, and 

 dismissed the case. [The doubt may well have been 

 as to the extraordinary story of the Siskin, if related 

 as it appears in the Portsmouth papers]. — At South 

 Shields, on February 9th, Josei^h Ronaldson was 

 fined 10s. and costs for possession of Larks, Linnets 

 and a Goldfinch. He said the birds were taken in 

 Brighton, and he had had them over two months ; 

 but when the police found him offering them for 

 sale the jorevious Saturday, one had still bird-lime 

 on its wings. — At Grantham, on February 11th, 

 Harry and John Hunt were fined lis. each for using 

 a net to take Goldfinches. The Chairman ordered 

 the nets to be confiscated, but it appeared that the 

 police had not seized them. 



Cruelty to Decoy Birds. — At Birmingham, 

 on January 13th, William Twigger was fined 40s. 

 and costs, and Henry Knight 20s. and costs, for 

 cruelty to a decoy Lark. When they saw the police 

 they cut the string to let the bii"d fly, but it was too 

 much exhausted and died. Twigger had been 

 previously convicted. — At Nottingham, on January 

 12th, Herbert Parr, a birdcatcher, was fined 5s. 



for cruelty to decoy Starlings. He had thirty-five 

 live Starlings in a mesh bag, and two died on the 

 way to the police-station. — At Market Weighton, 

 on January 5th, Seaton Roberts was fined 10s. and 

 costs for cruelty to four decoy-birds, two Twites, 

 a Chaffinch and a Bullfinch, which were braced 

 in the usual way and drawn up and down to attract 

 birds into the nets. 



Torturing a Bird. — At CheHerfield, on December 

 24th, four colliers, Thomas Gullett, Henry French, 

 Enoch Townsend, and John Shelton, were charged 

 with atrocious cruelty to a wild bird, which they 

 appeared to have tortured in every waj' they could 

 devise. The Mayor said it was the most brutal 

 afiair that had ever come before hun ; and he must 

 have regretted his inability to order a flogging. 

 Gullett and French were sent to gaol for a month, 

 and the others fined £1 each. 



Shooting a Swan. — At Lowestoft, Albert Edward 

 Hazel was charged with shooting a Swan, valued 

 at £5 5s., at Carlton Colville, on January 15th, 

 and F. R. Rice, publican, with receiving the same. 

 The bird, which was very tame, was shot by Hazel, 

 and taken to feed some wolves kept by Rice. Other 

 Swans had been killed or injured previously. Fined 

 four guineas each. 



The Law as to Possession. — At Brighton, on 

 March 3rd, Henry and Thomas Pannett were con- 

 victed of being in possession of newly-caught 

 Linnets, birds protected all the year, within the 

 borough. The defence was that the birds were 

 caught in the county, where they are not protected. 

 Henry, with five previous convictions, was fined 14s. 

 and costs, Thomas 7s. and costs. 



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"FEATHERS AND FACTS." 



A Reply to the Feather -Trade, and Review of Facts 



with reference to the Persecmion of Birds 



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