438 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
person duly authorised by owner or occupier. In other words, if any owner 
or occupier deems it desirable to keep down Sparrowhawks, Jays, Hooded 
Crows, Wood Pigeons, or any other bird which he may consider destructive, 
he may destroy them on his own land, or authorise some one else to do so. 
The Home Secretary still has power to vary the close time upon 
application of justices at Quarter Sessions, as he was formerly enabled to 
do by the Act of 1876, now repealed.—Ep.]| 
An Act TO AMEND THE LAWS RELATING TO THE PROTECTION OF ~ 
Witp Birps. 
[43 & 44 Vict., c. 35, 7th September, 1880.] 
Wuereas it is expedient to provide for the protection of wild 
birds of the United Kingdom during the breeding season : 
Be it therefore enacted by the Queen’s most Excellent Majesty, 
by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and 
Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, 
and by the authority of the same, as follows: 
1. This Act may for all purposes be cited as the Wild Birds 
Protection Act, 1880. 
2. The words “wild birds” shall for all the purposes of this 
Act be deemed to mean all wild birds. The word “sheriff” shall 
include steward and also sheriff substitute and steward substitute. 
3. Any person who between the first day of March and the 
first day of August in any year after the passing of this Act shall 
knowingly and wilfully shoot or attempt to shoot, or shall use 
any boat for the purpose of shooting or causing to be shot, any 
wild bird, or shall use any lime, trap, snare, net, or other 
instrument for the purpose of taking any wild bird, or shall 
expose or offer for sale, or shall have in his control or possession 
‘after the fifteenth day of March, any wild bird recently killed or 
taken, shall, on conviction of any such offence before any two 
justices of the peace in England and Wales or Ireland, or before the 
sheriff in Scotland, in the case of any wild bird which is included 
in the schedule hereunto annexed, forfeit and pay for every such 
bird in respect of which an offence has been committed a sum 
not exceeding one pound, and, in the case of any other wild bird, 
shall for a first offence be reprimanded and discharged on payment 
of costs, and for every subsequent offence forfeit and pay for every 
such wild bird in respect of which an offence is committed a sum 
of money not exceeding five shillings, in addition to the costs, 
