64 



BIRD NOTES AND NEWS. 



uS)^ ^^sr Economic Ornithology. ..<er .jsr 



THE GREEN PLOVER. 



In the House of Commons, on May 22nd, 

 Mr. Charles Bathurst asked the President 

 of the Local Government Board Avhether, 

 in view of the value to farmers of the Peewit 

 or Lapwing in reducing the number of snails, 

 wireworms, beetles, aphides, and the larvae 

 of various insects destructive of roots, cereal 

 crops, and pasture, and of the large and 

 increasing exportation from this country 

 to the United States of the eggs of these 

 birds, he would encourage all County Councils 

 to follow the example of the Gloucestershire 

 County Council, in issuing an Order for the 

 protection of this rapidly decreasing bird 

 and its eggs throughout the year ? 



Mr. Churchill, replying for Mr. Burns, 

 said he had recently received a numerously- 

 signed petition as to the export of Lapwings 

 and was consulting the Board of Agriculture. 

 He had not received any similar representa- 

 tions as to the export of the eggs. Enquiries 

 instituted b}'^ the Board of Agriculture in 

 1909, did not show any very marked decrease 

 in the number of Lapwings, and in some 

 districts an increase was reported. It rested 

 with the County Councils to apply for an 

 Order protecting the bird and its eggs, and 

 any application would receive careful and 

 sympathetic consideration. 



Mr. Bathurst asked if the trade in Lapwing 

 eggs had not increased immensely mthin 

 the last few years. 



Mr. Churchill hoped the pubHcity given 

 to the subject by question and answer, would 

 lead County Councils to apply for the Order ; 

 it rested with them. 



The Shooting Times (May 27th) commenting 

 on the question, says : — 



" It appears that the members of a big association 

 of American farmers are buying large quantities of 

 Green Plover eggs in this country, on account of 



these birds' vakie to agriculture County 



Councils could certainly do a great deal in this 

 matter ; but if the Plover is of such importance to 

 farmers, then the Board of Agriculture could pro- 

 mote a short Bill prohibiting the sale of Plovers' 

 eggs altogether. This would mean no hardship to 

 anyone but a few gourmands, and the comiDensation 

 would be very considerable." 



It is most desirable that every Council 

 should at least prohibit the taking of the 

 eggs after April 15th ; but so long as posses- 

 sion and sale are legal, the prohibition will 

 remain more or less ineffective. 



In Holland, where the season for taking 

 Plovers' eggs ends on^May 1st, a Bill has been 

 brought in for altering the date to April 16th. 

 The collectors and sellers have petitioned 

 against the change, but Chasse et Peche 

 supports the authorities in their efforts to 

 check the excessive destrviction of birds for 

 the sake of gastronomic luxuries, and recom- 

 mends the formation of areas where the birds 

 and their eggs shall be wholly protected. 



THE UTILITY OF OWLS. 

 If any further evidence be needed as to the 

 food of the Barn Owl, and of the folly of 

 farmers in allowing it to be killed, this is 

 furnished by an analysis of 113 pellets found 

 in a Barn Owl's nesting-place, and examined 

 by Mr. J. H. Gurney, Keswick Hall, Norfolk, 

 on April 10th, 1911. They contained the 

 remains of 19 young rats, 126 long-tailed, 

 short-tailed, and house mice, 69 shrews, 

 and of three small birds, probably Green- 

 finches. There was no trace of any game- 

 birds, nor, adds Mr. Gurney, " had I, from 

 previous experience, any expectation of 

 finding any. There can be little doubt that 

 the Barn Owl is one of the most useful birds 

 in this country." 



