BIRD NOTES AND NEWS. 



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The Plumc'-TrAcle. 



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THE QUEEN AND " OSPREY " PLUMES. 



The following intimation appeared in the 

 Daili/ Telegraph (Nov. 15) under the " Court 

 Circular," at the close of an account of some of 

 the millinery taken to India by Her Majesty : 



" The chief feature of all these hats is 

 the absence of aigrettes, or anything approach- 

 ing them. Her Majesty, who has never 

 Avorn a real aigrette, has read letters referring 

 to the subject of the protection of the bird 

 from which this is obtained, and has given 

 special instructions that nothing of the kind 

 must be employed in her millinery." 



Messrs Sciama & Co., whose manager, 

 Mr. Downham, is the spokesman of the plume 

 trade in England, have been fighting the new 

 Shea Plumage law of New York State, which 

 prohibits the sale of all plumage of birds of 

 the same family as birds occurrmg in the 

 State. They applied for an injunction to 



restrain the enforcement of the law, but the 

 Court dismissed it, upholding the constitu- 

 tional character of the enactment. This 

 finally decides that the sale of " o.spreys " 

 is illegal in the State. 



A report in Bird-Lore for October states 

 that two plume-hunters were in custody at 

 Charleston, South Carolina, charged with 

 shooting at the warden of an Egret reserve, 

 on which they were poaching. 



A large number of German Society ladies 

 have leagued together to wear no more 

 feather decorations. The movement is led 

 by Professor Schillings, who spoke strongly 

 on the subject at the International Ornitho- 

 logical Congress at Berlin last year, and it is 

 supported by the Queen of Wurtemberg, 

 the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, 

 Princess Eitel Friedrich of Prussia, and the 

 Crown Princess of Saxe-Meiningen. 



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Bird-'And^Tree (Arbor) Ddy. 



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All particulars of the Arbor Day Festivals held 

 in celebration of the Bird -and -Tree Competition of 

 1910-11 must be held over for the Spring Number of 

 Bird Notes and Neics. It may briefly be mentioned 

 that the success of the Victoria Council School. 

 Wellingborough, formed the occasion of a huge 

 gathering of teachers and children at the Palace 

 Theatre, Wellingborough, on November 30th, when 

 the Inter- County Shield was presented by Mr. 

 Hastings Lees, Member of Council of the R.S.P.B., 

 and the Comity Shield by Alderman Henson. Ihe 

 arrangements had been admirably made by the 

 County Education Authority, whose Chairman, 

 Mr. E. P. Monckton, presided. Successful Festivals 

 have also been held at Mogerhanger (Bedfordshire 

 Shield presented by Mr. Leeds-Smith) ; Melmerby 

 (Cumberland Shield presented by Mr. H. C. Howard, 

 Chairman of the County Council) ; Sholing Girls' 

 School (Hampshire Shield presented by Mrs. 

 Suckling) ; Henley-in-Arden (Warwickshire Shield 



presented by Dr. Agar) ; Exford, Haselor, Coles- 

 hill, Romsey, Hinton Waldrist, Barton Stacey, 

 Kensworth, Ridge, Mancetter, Coughton, Minworth, 

 Princes Risboro', and other Schools. 



The Children's Hour, the Government School 

 Magazine of South Australia, and organ of the 

 School Bird Protection Clubs, published a special 

 Bird-and-Tree (Arbor Day) number for June, 1911, 

 Its contents include a letter written to Mr. Edquist, 

 organiser of the Clubs, by the Duchess of Portland, 

 who, aa President of the Royal Society for the 

 Protection of Birds, expresses her delight in hearing 

 of the progress made in Australia, and her hope 

 that the members of the Clubs will derive as much 

 pleasure and profit from the study of birds as do 

 the Bird and Tree Cadets in England. 



Particulars of the Bird and Tree Competitions 

 for 3911-12 will gladly be sent to Teachers and 

 others interested. 



