SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF BIRDS 181 



Nightingale, and Sedge Warbler; all well up 

 to time, and some exceptionally early. The 

 Australian Peewits have brought off three 

 lovely little birds from their four eggs. The 

 Raven sits hard, and I am happy ! ' 



The following letter makes mention of the 

 Society for the Protection of Birds, in which my 

 brother was interested from its foundation. I 

 remember receiving a brief letter from him, con- 

 taining this exhortation : ' I beg you to become 

 a member of the Society for the Protection of 

 Birds, of which I enclose you a circular from its 

 excellent founder, Mrs. Phillips ; send half-a- 

 crown, and keep the rules.' The prominent rule 

 of this valuable Society as regards womankind, is 

 that they should refrain from wearing the feathers 

 of any bird not killed for food. My brother's eye 

 would travel upwards to the hat or bonnet of his 

 visitor of the generally humane sex, and might 

 there descry an ' osprey ' or a bird of paradise 

 plume, a hat composed of the wings of gulls, 

 or, even worse, a feathered decoration from the 

 owl, a bird held by him in the highest esteem. 

 And if such were the case, he would put in 



