146 PROTECTION OF BIRDS 



sentimental people to make egg-taking an offence. If 

 it were so there would be endless trouble parents 

 wouldn't pay the fines for their children, and the gaols 

 would be full of boys. 



Though the " sentimental people " did not succeed 

 in their endeavours, the poulterers were more persistent, 

 and in 1881 an amending Act greatly facilitated the 

 importation of game and wild-fowl killed abroad. 



The question of protecting birds' eggs was several 

 times seriously considered by the Close-time Committee, 

 and after that Committee ceased to exist the British 

 Association appointed a Committee in 1891 and 1892 

 " to consider proposals for the legislative Protection of 

 Wild Birds' Eggs." In 1893 a Bill was introduced into 

 Parliament by Sir Herbert Maxwell, Bart., the aim of 

 which was to enable County Councils to prohibit the 

 taking of the eggs of such species of birds as it might 

 seem desirable to name in different localities. The Bill 

 passed the House of Commons, then it was amended in 

 the House of Lords, chiefly at the instance of Lord 

 Walsingham, prompted by Newton, then it was recon- 

 structed by the Standing Committee and finally dropped 

 because in its altered form it was not acceptable to its 

 original promoter. 



After its introduction notes on the Bill were written 

 by Newton and privately circulated among members of 

 both Houses. These notes * so clearly define his views 

 on the important question of egg-collecting that no 

 apology is needed for repeating extracts from them 

 here. 



It undoubtedly appears that it might be advisable to 

 some extent to give effect to the desire expressed by many 

 people, that some restrictions of what, for brevity's sake, 



* Afterwards published in " The Annala of Scottish Natural History," 

 April, 1894. 



