The Oologists' Record, December 1, 1923. 85 



hunted, and each year all the first nests were taken, but in each case 

 the second nests were left and, because the egg-collectors were 

 egg-collectors, as well as bird-lovers and men of commonsense, 

 they did their very best to help the Dartford Warblers to bring up 

 their second broods and to keep their haunts secret from oth«r 

 invaders. There is no doubt that in some of these instances the 

 greatest protection the Warbleis had was from the so-called egg 

 thieves. Year after year their numbers remained steady or slowly 

 increased until the year of snow and ice, when nearly all went under. 

 Now, however, our egg-collectors report each year an increase in 

 the number of breeding birds, and doubtless soon their number 

 will again arrive at its proper proportion. 



Over-protection is, in many ways, much more destructive to 

 our rare bird life than under-protection. If there is no piotection, 

 common birds are destroyed in far greater proportionate numbers 

 than rare birds, but in over-protection the rare birds, generally 

 weaker in some way, are ousted by the common ones. For instance, 

 when the Black-headed Gull is over-protected, Sandwich Terns, 

 Rosy Terns and others are gradually exterminated or driven away. 

 If the number of Starlings is not kept down all the nesting-holes 

 of Woodpeckers are usurped by them, and the Woodpeckers 

 cannot breed. No given area can support more than a given 

 number of birds, and if by protection we increase the number of 

 common ones, then Nature will balance matters by decreasing 

 the uncommon ones. Rare birds are rare merely because they 

 are not so well suited in some respects as are common ones to 

 fight for a living, and if this is admitted, as I think it must be, 

 then commonsense tells us that indiscriminate protection must 

 defeat its own purpose. 



Unfortunately, many of our most prominent protectionists 

 think first of the principles they have laid down for their guidance, 

 and only secondly about the birds and beasts they wish to protect. 



The principle I would ask Oologists to live up to is this : Never 

 take an egg unless it is wanted for some definite purpose, and never 

 encourage youngsters to take eggs unless they are in a position 

 to teach them something about the eggs taken. 



