ANNUAL MEETING LORD LILFORD's ADDRESS. 161 



the district in which it was reported te have been seen. I was quite 

 cognisant of this fact as far as dealers in natural history wares were con- 

 cerned ; but hitherto I had not thought that naturalists and gentlemen 

 were equally mean in endeavouring to exterminate our rarer feathered 

 visitors merely for their own selfish ends, at the same time figuring as 

 examples of law-breakers. For this very reason I did not send you the 

 note of the occurrence of the Black- winged Stilt until ten days should 

 elapse between the day on which I saw the bird and the day of 

 publication of The Field of last week. The Field, as everyone knows, 

 is published on Saturday, and on Monday morning the principal local 

 bird-stuffer here (Eastbourne) had several letters, begging him to at once 

 obtain this rare visitor, and forward it to the writers. I was very much 

 surprised to learn that no less than three of these gentlemen were well- 

 known naturalists, one being a clergymen as well as a magistrate. Now, 

 I do not wish to give publicity to such proceedings as these, but for this 

 reason, that I think every right-thinking lover of birds will agree in saying 

 that when a law is made it ought to be upheld ; and how is such an end 

 possibly attainable when those gentlemen who ought to be an example to 

 others in a lower (and poorer) station of life are the first to offer money 

 to induce bird-stuffers and others to break the law ? I also am informed, 

 on the best authority, that for two whole days a collector (a gentle- 

 man ?) from near Brighton, was in the marshes where I saw the Stilt, 

 endeavouring to obtain it — but, I am glad to say, without success. I am 

 sorry for the Golden Orioles recorded by my friend Lord Clifton in The 

 Field a short time since as having been seen in April (and one shot) near 

 Stanmer Park, as no doubt the others will speedily shai'e the same fate. 

 I only wish there were many others who would be content with being 

 good Ornithologists, like Lord Clifton, without killing everything they 

 see during the summer, and in this way giving our rarer birds a chance to 

 nest with us. It will be long before I again record a rare bird in The Field 

 until a month or so after its occurrence — of course I mean in case of a 

 bird observed and not shot ; and I recommend a similar delay to all 

 Ornithologists. I have seen both Golden Oriole and Hoopoe, Spotted 

 Crake and little Ringed Plover, and other scarce birds in this country ; 

 and, keeping the knowledge to a few trusted friends, in every case these 

 birds bred. These were all in Suffolk. Had I recorded their appearance 

 at once in your columns, what would have been the probable result ? They 

 would have shared the fate of other rarities within a very few days. I 

 beg to offer these remarks with all deference to the opinions of brother 

 Ornithologists ; but I can scarcely believe anyone will wish that every 

 rare bird that reaches our shores should at once be destroyed. I 

 should be very glad to have the opinion of the Editor on a subject of 

 great interest to us all, and of other Ornithological readers of The Field. 

 I saw another very scarce bird in the county of Sussex yesterday, but the 

 readers of your Natural History column will not be informed what it was 

 just at present." 



I may, perhaps, mention that I have the honour to be President of 

 the British Ornithological Union, and in that capacity felt called upon to 

 reply to Captain Clark-Kennedy's request for an expression of opinion. 

 This is the letter I wrote : — 



"Rare Birds. 



" As Capt. A. Clark- Kennedy, in the admirable letter which has 

 appeared in your issue of the 22nd inst., has invited an expression of 

 opinion on its subject-matter from his brother Ornithologists, I venture 

 to trouble you with the following remarks: — In the first place, then, let 



