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reverse. No one can admire and value the study of other

languages, dead or otherwise, and the importance, nay, the

necessity, of scientific classification and nomenclature, more

than I do, but I fail to see eye to eye with those who speak

slightingly of their own mother tongue. And we should not

act so as to disgust and repel the embryo aviculturist, but rather

do the best that may be done to win and assist him.


Let us close by returning to the original line of thought,—

and admit that it is now impossible to do much towards simpli¬

fying the names of certain foreign birds ; nevertheless we may

well keep the idea before our minds, and act accordingly should

any opportunity of doing so present itself (a).



EFFECTIVE SIMPLE BIRD TRAPS.


By Arthur G. Butler, Pli.D.


Now that the purchase of even the commoner British

birds has been rendered difficult, owing to the many and per¬

plexing local restrictions which have grown out of the Wild

Birds’ Protection Act. the only chance of the British aviarist is

to be his own bird-catcher: this he can only hope to be upon his

personal property, so that the idea of clap-nets and even bat¬

fowling nets must (unless he be a large lauded proprietor) be

set aside.


In the early days of my bird keeping, before I had come

across a bird-catcher, and long before the utopian fiction that

the preservation of a few thousand birds in the British Isles

would affect their permanent representation on our shores, had

gained ground with a gullible public ; I used to catch all the

commoner birds with two very simple, cheap, and easily made

traps, known as the box-trap and caravan-trap.


Before describing these contrivances, it will perhaps save

future discussion if I point out that only in severe weather,

when our wild birds are dying from starvation, are any traps of

much use; and to catch and care for birds at such times (far

from being cruel) is the greatest kindness that you can show

them. It is well-known that birds are purely animal in their

passions and desires; therefore, in a good-sized aviary, where

they can carry on a natural life without the dangers of absolute



(a.) I am quite at one with Mr. Phillipps in this opinion ; indeed X go further, for I

think it our duty not to accept nonsense names for any bird for which we can suggest a

descriptive name : on this ground I have objected to the terms ‘ Picui ’ dove, ‘ Picuzuro ’

pigeon, &c. as conveying no meaning to Englishmen.—A. G. B.



