3 i6 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



WILD BIRDS PROTECTION ACTS. 



HP HE Society for the Protection of Birds has 

 issued its annual report for 1895, an0 ^ 

 appended is printed a list of districts where the 

 Wild Birds Protection Acts of 1880 and 1894 are 

 now in force. We give these particulars for the 

 convenience of our readers who are interested in 

 ornithology. Upon the application of the various 

 County Councils, the following orders have been 

 issued by the Home Secretary, or by the Secretary 

 for Scotland, under the powers conferred by the 

 above Acts. 



Aberdeenshire. — I. — The taking or destroying 

 the eggs of the following species of wild birds is 

 prohibited throughout the entire County of Aberdeen 

 for a period of one year, from the 1st day of Sep- 

 tember, 1895, viz. : peregrine, known also as 

 hunting hawk, blue hawk, blue sleeves ; kestrel, 

 known also as windhover ; merlin hawk, long-eared 

 owl, short-eared owl, barn owl, tawny owl, 

 nightjar, known also as goat-sucker, night-hawk, 

 churn - owl, and fern - owl ; black - headed gull, 

 herring gull, kittiwake, common gull, common 

 plover, lark, crossbill. II. — The taking or destroy- 

 ing the eggs of the lapwing is prohibited through- 

 out the entire County of Aberdeen in the year 1896, 

 after the 15th day of April in the said year. III. — 

 The Wild Birds Protection Act, 1880, shall apply 

 within the County of Aberdeen to the following 

 species of wild birds as if they had been included 

 in the Schedule to the said Act, viz. : peregrine, 

 known also as hunting hawk, blue hawk, blue 

 sleeves ; kestrel, known also as windhover, merlin 

 hawk and crossbill. 



Anglesea. — All birds from March 1st to October 

 1st, except for the following : — Curlew, diver, 

 dunbrid, eider duck, lapwing, mallard, peewit, 

 plover, pochard, shoveller, snipe, teal, widgeon, 

 wild duck and woodcock (the close time for these 

 birds being March 1st to July 31st). 



Argyllshire. — The taking or destroying of the 

 eggs of the following species of wild birds is 

 prohibited in the islands of Islay, Colonsay, Coll, 

 and Tiree, for a period of one year from the 1st day 

 of October, 1S95, viz. : common wild duck, teal, 

 eider duck, merganser, snipe, dunlin, grebe, 

 lapwing, tern, all kinds ; Richardson's skua, 

 pochard, tufted duck, chough. The Wild Birds 

 Protection Act, 18S0, shall apply within the 

 islands of Islay, Colonsay, Coll and Tiree, to the 

 tufted duck, as if that species had been included in 

 the Schedule to the said Act. 



Berwickshire. — Prohibiting throughout the 

 entire County of Berwick for one year, from the 

 1st day of Jury, the taking or destroying the eggs of 

 the following species of wild birds, viz. ; dipper or 



water-ouzel, redstart, stonechat, lark, peregrine 

 falcon, barn owl, long-eared owl, tawny owl, gold- 

 finch, bullfinch, redpole, siskin, wagtail, kingfisher, 

 snipe, ringed plover or sea lark, common tern, teal, 

 great spotted woodpecker, cuckoo, dunlin, redbreast 

 heron, rock pipit, sandpiper, missel thrush, wren, 

 coal tit, blue tit, and long-tailed tit, and by the same 

 order the following among the above wild birds are, 

 in addition, to have the protection of the Wild 

 Birds Protection Act of 1880, as if they had been 

 included in the Schedule to that Act, viz., the 

 dipper, or water ouzel, redstart, stonechat, pere- 

 grine falcon, bullfinch, redpole, siskin, wagtail, 

 redbreast, heron, rock pipet, missel thrush, wren, 

 coal tit, blue tit, and long-tailed tit. — Dated June, 



1895- 



Cambridgeshire. — The taking or destroying of 

 wild birds' eggs within that part of the County of 

 Cambridge known as Wicken Sedge Fen, is pro- 

 hibited for a period of three years from Sep- 

 tember 7th, 1895. — Bated September 23rd, 1895. 



Cheshire. — Throughout the whole of the County 

 of Chester. I. — The time during which the killing 

 and taking of wild birds or any of them is pro- 

 hibited by the Act of 1880, shall be extended in 

 the County of Chester so as to be from March 

 1st to August 12th in each year. II. — The 

 Act of 1880, as extended by Section I. of this 

 order, shall apply within the whole of the 

 County of Chester, to the kestrel and heron, 

 as if those species were included in the Schedule of 

 that Act. III. — The taking or destroying of the 

 eggs of the owl, the bittern, the kingfisher, the 

 kestrel, the heron, the sheldrake, the dunlin, the 

 black-headed gull, the common tern and the 

 oyster-catcher, shall be prohibited in the whole of 

 the County of Chester. Within a portion of the 

 Hundred of Wirrall (area defined). — IV. — The Act 

 of 1880, as extended by Section I. of the foregoing 

 order, shall apply within the above-named area to 

 the following species of birds : red-backed shrike, 

 whinchat, spotted flycatcher, sedge warbler, black- 

 cap warbler, grasshopper warbler, wood warbler, 

 garden warbler, missel-thrush, common bunting, 

 reed bunting, goldfinch, wheatear, chiffchaff, 

 golden-crested wren, yellow wagtail, pied wagtail, 

 water wagtail, skylark and titlark, as if they were 

 included in the Schedule to the Act of 1S80. V. — 

 The taking or destroying of the eggs of all wild 

 birds shall be prohibited within the above-named 

 area. — Dated July 10th, 1895. 



Cornwall.. — Whereby the taking or destroying 

 of the eggs of the Cornish chough is prohibited 

 throughout the County of Cornwall. — Dated 

 December 12th, 1894. 



