218 CORD-GRASS 



coming from the north of Europe, many of them from 

 the British Isles, on their journey to sunnier climes. 

 It is not in Italy alone that this dire destruction is 

 being wrought. The Balkan States are not included 

 in the Convention, and facilities of transport have 

 encouraged professional bird-catchers to station them- 

 selves all along the lower Danube and on the African 

 coast, whence they consign tons of small birds to the 

 great consuming centres. In October 1890, 8829 

 quintals (423,800 birds) of fly-catchers, warblers, pipits, 

 and titmice were enumerated in passing the frontier 

 at Brescia. Near Montegrado, 14,000 swallows were 

 taken in three days, and the take at Crao in a single 

 season was reckoned at three million swallows. 



To another category belong the 400,000 pairs of larks' 

 wings supplied from Finland to a single fashion shop 

 in Paris. 



Under the Convention the contracting States under- 

 take to legislate for the complete stoppage of this 

 kind of traffic. Let us hope that the necessary laws 

 may be speedily passed and stringently enforced. 



LII 



The Kew Bulletin (No. 5, 1907) contains a paper of 

 much interest, not only in its general bearing, 

 upon coast erosion, upon which a Royal Com- 

 mission is now sitting, but as concerning all those who 

 own land upon muddy estuaries. The subject of the 

 paper is the cord-grass (Spartina stricta) which appears 

 to have made its way to this country from the Atlantic 



