198 FRANCIS ORPEN MORRIS 



of sparrow and starling matches, which cause so 

 much disgust in the minds of every humane per- 

 son. The letter was written in 1880, and ran 

 thus : 



"Eleven years ago I had the pleasure of corre- 

 sponding with you, and communicated to you the 

 full and accurate account of the murder of twelve 

 dozen sparrows and three dozen linnets at East- 

 bourne, which, after being packed in cages until half 

 suffocated, were put one by one by a lantern-jawed 

 man into a small spring trap like a quarter-of-a- 

 pound cigar-box, and so ' shot up ' into the air, and 

 ' shot-down' by noble (?) sportsmen, eighteen yards 

 off, with a large-muzzled gun, one of whom covered 

 the iron trap with his gun before the string was 

 pulled. You quoted my letter in one of yours to 

 the Times afterwards, and, as you remember, the 

 Hon. Grantley Berkeley took up the running, and 

 from the combined labours of all who joined you 

 in condemning bird murder, and your own and 

 Mr. Berkeley's influence, the ( Gun Act ' was passed. 

 Read enclosed advertisement No. i : 'A big day's 

 shooting, at which twenty dozen starlings at least ' 

 are advertised to be shot to-morrow, and they 

 will be dead, I fear, after you have received this 

 letter. See advertisement No. 2, which announces 

 that ' J. Spurgeon, Hackney- Wick, will be on the 

 ground with twenty dozen starlings and forty dozen 

 sparrows.' Literally for heaven's sake, stop this 

 infamous massacre of one of our prettiest and 

 most domestic home birds. Starlings are being 



