1632 The Zoologist— April, 1869. 



I am afraid you will find this a somewhat lame account of the 

 beautiful Island of Sark, but were I to enter more into the particulars 

 of its scenery, I fear I should be only repeating what Black's 

 ' Guide Book' has already most amply treated of, and which Prof. 

 Ansted's ' Channel Islands ' may be said to have already exhausted. 



John A, Harvie Brown. 



Preservation of Sea Fowl. 

 (The Introductory Observations are ahridged from the ' Field ' of March 13ib.) 



Much has been said of late respecting the expediency, or otherwise, 

 of providing by statute for the preservation of sea fowl, and with good 

 reason. Naturalists have observed with regret the wanton and indis- 

 criminate slaughter of birds which has for some time past been taking 

 place on all parts of the coast without any regard to season. Whether 

 the pleasure-seekers, the pliimassiers, or the leaders of female fashion 

 are the most to blame, we will not here inquire ; suflSce it to say that 

 the birds are destroyed by hundreds, nay thousands, and principally 

 at a time of year when they have eggs or young in their nests. Were 

 the birds thus taken used as food, there would be some excuse ; were 

 they killed at any other time of the year, except in the nesting season, 

 there would not be such ground of complaint. Under |the system 

 which at present prevails, the extinction of many beautiful species of 

 6ea fowl seems imminent. It becomes a question, then, whether the 

 aid of Parliament should not be invoked to avert an event so un- 

 desirable. 



But it may be asked of what use are these birds, after all } Sup- 

 posing they are protected by law during the nesting time, what then ? 

 There is a very complete answer. The evidence of mariners, fisher- 

 men, agriculturists and naturalists tends abundantly to prove that the 

 various species of gulls deserve protection for many reasons. They 

 are useful to mariners in warning them off rocks, shoals, and other 

 dangers of the sea; acting, in fact, as living fog-signals. They are 

 useful to fishermen in directing them to the most productive fishing 

 grounds. The fishermen always know where there is a shoal of fish 

 by the movements of the gulls, which fly round and round the shoal, 

 now and then swooping to take a fish as it rises to the surface. Were 

 it not for this aid much time would be wasted, with much wear of nets. 



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