598 Bigby Pigott : Wild Birds 



that violations of the Act of 1872 or the proposed new Act 

 should be punished "by the payment of costs alone for the 

 first offence and the payment- of costs and a fine not exceed- 

 ing- os. for every offence after the first." 



More than one witness had strongly urged that the penalty 

 was insufficient to act as a deterrent. 



The Committee further recommended that the protection 

 of the wild birds named in the Schedule of the 1872 Act 

 " should be continued." 



No immediate action was taken to give effect to these 

 recommendations. But in 1874 a Bill was introduced in the 

 House of Lords by Lord de la Warr, which, leaving the 

 " Seafowl Preservation Act " of 1869 untouched, proposed to 

 repeal the Act of 1872, "with the object of making," as 

 stated in the Preamble, " more effectual provision for pro- 

 moting the objects and purposes " of the Act. It was a 

 rather crude Bill and, as it was not to apply to birds dealt 

 with by the Sea Birds Preservation Act, one of its effects 

 would, had it become law, have been to place sea birds — ■ 

 which were thought to be more especially in need of protec- 

 tion — in a worse position than others, inasmuch as the eggs 

 of the other birds would have been protected, while the sea 

 birds' eggs remained unprotected. The Bill though not pro- 

 ceeded with, is of interest as being the first proposal made 

 in Parliament for the protection of eggs of any wild bird 

 other than game birds. 



In 1876 and in 1880 a third and fourth Act were passed. 



The first (39 and 40 Vic, cap. 29) began with a statement 

 in the Preamble that Wildfowl " forming a staple article of 

 food and commerce," had "of late years greatly decreased in 

 numbers by reason of their being inconsiderately slaughtered 

 during the time that they have eggs and young," and imposed 

 a fine of £1 for each offence for killing any of a long list of 

 Wildfowl and Waders between the 15th January and 10th 

 July, or such other altered close times as might be fixed by 

 the Home Secretary or Lord Lieutenant of Ireland on the 

 application of Justices in Quarter Sessions. 



The second Act (43 and 44 Vic, cap. 35) entitled " An Act 

 to Amend the Laws Relating to the Protection of Wild 



