NCTES AND COMMENTS. 
DR. ALFRED HARKER, F.R.S. 
From, the ‘ Abstracts of the Proceedings of the Geological 
Society of London,’ No. 987, we notice, ‘ February 23rd, 19g16— 
Dr. Alfred Harker, F.R.S., President, in the chair.’ In this 
way we learn that a former editor of The Naturalist now holds 
the highest position the chief geological society of the world 
can give him, and the further fact that our one-time frequent 
contributor is now LL.D. We sincerely congratulate him 
upon both events! It will be remembered that Dr. Harker 
formerly took a great interest in the Yorkshire Naturalists’ Union 
and conducted the excursions of the Geological section. He 
occupied the Union’s presidential chair in 1911. He is the 
author of many memoirs and books on petrological subjects ; 
his ‘Introduction to Petrolegy’ having passed through a 
number of editions, while his ‘ Natural History of Igneous 
Rocks’ has a world-wide reputation; and, Dr. Harker is a 
Yorkshireman. 
THE RINGING OF BIRDS. 
The publicity given to Mr. R. Fortune’s presidential address 
to the Yorkshire Naturalists’ Union, now appearing in our 
columns, caused a letter of protest to appear from Mr. H. W. 
Robinson, who is ‘ perhaps, the greatest exponent of bird- 
ringing.’ He says, ‘Mr. Fortune states that many people 
shoot birds in the hope of finding rings upon their Jegs. This 
statement is untrue, for in the returns of marked birds the 
large majority have been found dead from natural causes ; 
moreover, the percentage of returns is a very smal! one indeed. 
I am writing, not from my imagination, but with the tabulated 
returns of the chief species so ringed before me, the method 
of recovery being given in every case. Can Mr. Riley Fortune 
quote any cases where such ringed birds have sustained any 
damage from being ringed? I doubt it, for in no single case 
of returns made had there been any damage done to the leg 
that bore the ring.’ 
MR. FORTUNE'S REPLY. 
In the course of his reply Mr. Fortune stated :—' For some 
years this matter has been freely mentioned at the meetings 
of the Vertebrate Zoology Section of the Yorkshire Naturalists’ 
Union, and, generally, universally condemned. Members who 
are thoroughly qualified to know have made statements, of 
which I, too, have personal knowledge, that gulls are regularly 
shot on the Yorkshire Coast for the sake of the rings. To-day 
a gentleman in this town, who has seen the letter of Mr. Robin- 
son in your columns,* came to me and said: “‘ You are quite 

*i.e., The Yorkshire Post. 
1916 April 1. 
