16 



the folk-names are very expressive, though we have quite lost 

 the meaning of others — if they ever had meanings. It is a 

 striking fact that those things to which our forefathers 

 omitted to give names — and in most orders they are the 

 majority of species — remain unknown to the general public 

 to this day. The unscientific world is as much in need of a 

 name by which to remember a thing as we are, and in my 

 opinion we shall not succeed in spreading a knowledge of our 

 native fauna and flora until we have translated into the 

 vernacular those specific names that will bear the process, 

 and invented descriptive English terms for those whose 

 scientific appellations have been borrowed from the gods and 

 goddesses, fates and furies, nymphs and satyrs of the heathen 

 mythology. Whether you are inclined to help in this 

 direction or not, I would at least beg of you, in the interests 

 of the student of folk-lore, of the poet, and of the English 

 literature generally, to save existing vulgar names from loss 

 by disuse ; for it is not necessary that science should destroy 

 all sentiment in her burning zeal for accuracy and truth. 



We have a number of members who are oologists, and I 

 have been expecting one of them to call the Society's atten- 

 tion to the Act of Parliament passed in July last, entitled, 

 " An Act to Amend the Wild Birds' Protection Act, 1880," 

 whereby County Councils are in effect empowered to prohibit 

 the taking the eggs of any specified species of wild birds 

 within their jurisdiction, or the taking of any eggs whatever 

 within certain areas. 



It will be remembered that in the previous session of 

 Parliament, Sir Herbert Maxwell, M.P., brought in a bill to 

 protect the eggs of certain species which from their scarcity 

 in this country were in danger of becoming extinct. That 

 bill was passed by the House of Commons and sent to the 

 Lords, where it was so mauled and hacked in the landlord 

 interest that on its return to the Commons Sir Herbert could 

 not recognise his child, and denied the paternity. In con- 

 sequence it was abandoned, and was included in the sessional 

 " Slaughter of the Innocents." This last session a new bill 

 was introduced — a sort of hybrid between Sir H. Maxwell's 

 bill and the Lords' "amendments" — and was passed into 

 law. It is as well that all oologists should make themselves 

 acquainted at once with this measure, otherwise they may 

 be venturing into a proscribed area in quest of eggs, and 

 innocently rendering themselves liable to a penalty of ;;^i 

 for every egg taken. The order must actually be made by 

 the Home Secretary on the motion of a County Council, 



