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with considerable success. The Honorary Secretary would be glad to hear

from any member willing to write on this bird.



Our readers will doubtless have observed that the Magazine, which

contained twenty pages each mouth for the first six numbers of the current

volume, has last month and this month fallen back again to its old size of

sixteen pages. The reason for this is that while copy comes in to the

Editor fairly abundantly in the winter, during the summer mouths there

is a difficulty in obtaining articles. Will the members kindly 7 bear in mind

that anything which they write for the Magazine will be specially valued if

sent in during the next few months?



The recent large increase in the membership of the Society is very

gratifying, and reflects great credit upon the members who secured the new

recruits. Their success will doubtless spur them on to fresh exertions. It

is believed that the coloured plates are much appreciated and have been

the inducement to many to join the Society. We regret, however, that the

Secretary reports an unusually large number of resignations.



With regard to the article by the late Mr. AII011 which appeared last

month, and his observations upon the character and disposition of various

species, it would be well to bear in mind that he kept some hundreds of

birds flying loose together in one room, and that their behaviour under such

conditions would be likefy to differ considerably from what it would be

in a less crowded aviary. We are not for a moment suggesting that Mr.

Allon’s bird-room was over-crowded in such a way as to be injurious to the

health of the birds, but it certainfy must have been over-crowded to an

extent sufficient to modify the habits of its inmates. This fadt does not

detract from the value of his observations, but it helps to explain why he

frecpiently differs from other observers.



Many of the County 7 Councils throughout the country have availed

themselves of the powers given to them by 7 the Wild Birds Protection Acts,

1894 and 1896, and the effect of their initiative is that over a large part

of England all the warblers and many other harmless insectivorous species

may not be taken, even by 7 the owners or occupiers of the land. It is

somewhat a misfortune that the law on the subject should vary-' in different

counties, and a still greater misfortune that it should be so very 7 involved

and difficult to understand and remember — but it seems to be the duty of

aviculturists to make themselves masters of it as it exists in the counties

in which they reside, and to do their best to help in its enforcement.

We would not suggest that our members should turn themselves into a

vigilance committee or act as informers, but they r might do much good

by keeping an eve on bird catchers, bird dealers and others, and if they

find them infringing the law, give them a friendly warning “ not to do

it again ” unless they 7 wish to be reported to the police.



As an instance of what has been done it may be useful to take one

district. The East Sussex County Council have passed a resolution, which

will doubtless be carried into effect by 7 an order of the Secretary of State,



