104 WILD BIRD PROTECTION 



When, in 1880, Sir John Lubbock (now Lord Ave- 

 bury) first induced the House of Commons to attend to 

 the grievances of our feathered fellow-creatures, he 

 found it far from unsympathetic. It is not on record 

 that any honourable member shed tears over the fate 

 of the great auk, but a distinct thrill ran through the 

 assembly when it was told that the black tern, the 

 avocet, the bittern, the great bustard, the black-tailed 

 godwit, and Savi's warbler, had already manifested 

 their disgust at the inhospitable treatment they had 

 received by ceasing to lay any eggs with us, and had 

 become so exceedingly rare, that individuals of these 

 species, alighting on their seasonal migration for ' a wash 

 and brush-up,' were relentlessly persecuted, and gener- 

 ally found their way into some local museum with an 

 obituary notice in the country paper. Sir John's Bill, 

 then, found an easy passage through all its stages, and 

 became the 'principal act/ of which subsequent acts 

 have been amendments and extensions. Appended to 

 it was a schedule, containing a list of wild birds for 

 which a close time was provided, protecting them 

 during the spring and summer months. 



Perhaps the most notable general result of this Act 

 has been the increase of the common wild-duck. For- 

 merly, flapper-shooting the shooting of young ducks 

 as soon as they are able to fly was a recognised, though 

 inglorious form of sport ; and many persons persecuted 

 the helpless fowl for gain, finding a ready market for 

 them. Sir John Lubbock's close-time, extending from 

 March 15th to August 1st, practically put an end to 



