17 



Hungary and Italy declared themselves in favour of strict and 

 comprehensive legislation with a view to securing the protection 

 of birds useful to agriculture. On the occasion of the First 

 International Ornithological Congress at Vienna in 1884, however, 

 her enthusiasm seemed to have somewhat cooled, while the 

 name of her representative is not to be found amongst the 

 signatures appended to the Paris Convention. There is, however, 

 some reason to believe that among the better educated ItaHans 

 bird-protection is slowly making headway, and several publica- 

 tions now advocate the cause. 



MONACO, SAN MARINO, AND LUXEMBURG. 



To make this short survey of European legislation more com- 

 plete mention should perhaps be made of the small Republics 

 of Monaco and San Marino and the Grand Duchy of Luxemburg ; 

 of these neither of the two first mentioned are of sufficient size 

 to be of much importance. Monaco is only about three miles long 

 and one and a- half miles broad, and as the ground is to a great 

 extent covered \vith buildings, birds are not much molested. 

 The representative of Monaco was, however, one of those who 

 signed the Paris Convention. 



San Marino is a miniature Republic in the hiUs near Rimini, 

 has an area of rather more than thirty square miles, and is under 

 the protection of Italy. The inhabitants carry on the usual 

 Italian pursuits, including that of bird-catching, without restric- 

 tion. 



The Grand Duchy of Luxemburg covers an area of a little under 

 a thousand square miles. In 1867 it was declared by the Treaty 

 of London to be neutral territory under the sovereignty of the 

 King of the Netherlands. On his death in 1890 it passed to the 

 Duke of Nassau. In so far as the land is not devoted to the 

 production of iron ore it is mostly agricultural, and the Grand 

 Duchy is an advocate of the principles laid down by the Paris 

 Convention, which was signed by her representative. 



The legislation in two British possessions should also be referred 

 to, for each occupies a commanding geographical position on a 

 well-marked route of European migration. 



GIBRALTAR. 



One is Gibraltar, where nobody may kill, take or use a decoy or 

 any kind of instrument for the purpose of taking any bird without 

 leave.* 



CYPRUS. 



And the other is Cyprus, where there is a close season for birds 

 during the locust season, from the middle of February to the 



* Ordinance of 1885. 



