The Protection of Wild Birds. 273 



of our rarer birds, and notably those that breed in 

 cliffs, and other open situations, suffer terribly 

 from the ravages of ' ' collectors," a race with whom 

 we have no sympathy, and many of whom, having 

 more money than brains, are willing to give large 

 prices for specimens of the eggs of " rare" birds if 

 guaranteed to be " British/ 7 Indeed, it would be 

 a matter for congratulation if a law could be 

 devised which would reach the collectors, who, 

 being receivers, are far worse than the actual 

 thieves. Yet much of this destruction might be 

 prevented under the law as it stands, as, indeed, is 

 well exemplified in the case of the birds breeding 

 on the Fame Islands, for, as the Lord Advocate 

 pointed out in answer to a question put to him 

 in the House, <( oologists are not yet exempt from 

 the general law of trespass, 57 and landowners have 

 the power of preventing birds'-nesting if they care 

 to use it. Unfortunately, however, very many 

 landowners, especially if they are game preservers, 

 are the greatest offenders in the matter of bird 

 destruction, and, by encouraging their gamekeepers 

 to destroy all birds which they consider " vermin/ 7 

 have practically exterminated many of our native 

 species, utterly regardless of the fact that all birds, 

 whether included in the schedule or not, are, under 

 the provisions of the existing "Wild Birds Protec- 

 tion Act/ 7 entitled to a close time from March 1 to 

 August 1. To take only one example ; the (c owl, 77 

 which is named in the schedule ; no particular 

 species is mentioned, and therefore it must be 



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