154 PROTECTION OF BIRDS 



about a twelvemonth, and since that time the flood of 

 silly sentimentalists has swept away everything practic- 

 able. They have been aided by meddlesome people like 



and , who have never been able to understand 



the points at issue. In the present state of things I 

 doubt whether we should be a bit better off for a new 

 Act ; there is no one to look to it in either House of 

 Parliament. I think there is no chance of Bryce's Bill 

 being carried for many a year. There is no doubt as to 

 the mischief it would do in regard to birds ; and the 

 Golden Eagle would follow the Sea-Eagle into the 

 Ewigkeit. 



I quite agree with you that probably no harm has 

 been done, or is likely to be done, by taking Crossbills' 

 and Siskins' nests ; both species are no doubt increasing 

 in number with the spread of planting in Scotland ; (by 

 the way, is the Crested Titmouse extending into the new 

 plantations ? It ought to do so soon ;) but still it is 

 disgusting that all these nests should be taken just to 

 put a few shillings or pounds into a man's pocket. 



On the other hand, we must recognise the fact that 

 the Acts have done a great deal of good. The Great- 

 crested Grebe was all but done for in Norfolk, and is now 

 flourishing there as well as in other parts of the country. 

 I hear of Tufted Duck (" in swarms ") everywhere, and 

 this year there has been a pair of Redshanks breeding 

 on the wet meadows between this place and Grantchester, 

 such a thing having been unknown for much more than 

 50 years.* 



The inadequacy (as it seemed to him) of the existing 

 Acts did not deter Newton from his public-spirited work, 

 and for many years he devoted much time, as a mass of 

 correspondence testifies, to attempts at securing proper 

 protection for certain local species. In 1 893 he persuaded 

 the Zoological Society to award silver medals to John 

 Peter Grant, of Rothiemurchus, and Lochiel for their 



* Letter to J. A. Harvie-Brown, June 25, 1900. 



