8 4



Mr. Hubert D. Astley,



the turret, and from time to time he gives it a pull, so that the

imprisoned decoys at the other end are jerked into the air and

fluttered up and down, and attract any passers-by. Oh! there

is no end to the fowler’s abominable wiles. And a pathetic part

of it is that these fowlers are oftentimes the most simple-minded

men of the peasant order, who seem entirely unaware of the

acts of cruelty they are committing, and are as astonished to be

told it is so, as an Englishman would be when ratting.


At any rate, even although we may in many respects live

in a glass-house, one can hardly conceive it possible for a large

majority of English bird-catchers to deliberately burn bird’s eye¬

sight away, although I should add that even in Italy such an

abomination is illegal ; but it is one thing to make a law and

quite another to obey it, or wink at the disobeying of it.


Italy, however, is not wanting in men and women who

are striving to change the order of things. Perhaps the prime

mover is Professor Giacinto Martorelli, an honorary member

of our Society, and head of the Turati Collection in the Natural

History Museum at Milan. Writing to me on thecist of October

in answer to a letter of mine in which I deplored the destruction

of migrants in Italy, Professor Martorelli says :—“ lam absolutely

“and totally in agreement with you and with all enlightened

“ foreigners in deploring and condemning the extermination of

“ the birds which is going on in Italy, and I am endeavouring to

“bring forward certain ‘propaganda’ along with many others

“ who deplore this destruction, for putting an end to such bar-

“ barous acts.”


This is good hearing. We indeed wish Professor Martorelli

all success. The task he has set himself is not an easy one, for

he has to fight with prejudice, selfishness, and an hereditary

habit handed down through many generations.


At the Roccolo which I visited, I counted at least one

hundred and fifty birds which lay dead in a promiscuous heap

on the floor of the watch-tower, all of which had been killed in

two days. Think of it ! and there were certainly seven separate

roccoli within sight. Is it then any exaggeration to say that Italy

destroys in October and November alone of every year, thousands



