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THE RATIONALE OF BIRD PROTECTION". 



BY 



Frank E. Lemon, M.A., LL.B. Cantab. 

 Hon. Sec. Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. 



Protection of birds is a subject which has of late gained 

 increasing support, but notwithstanding' this the need for it 

 is every year becoming' greater. The object of this paper is 

 briefly to recall and emphasise such need, and at the same 

 time to set forth some rational basis which should secure 

 universal approval. The question of the balance of Nature 

 and how far protection for wild birds would be needed, were 

 it not for the increase of population and the spread of 

 civilization.^ is too hypothetical a question and cannot be 

 entered upon now ; but, as a prelude to setting forth the 

 reasons for, and the best methods of securing the general 

 adoption of, bird protection it may be well to enumerate some 

 of the causes for the diminution in bird-life which has taken 

 place in many districts. I should here, perhaps, state that I 

 am proposing to speak only of what we in England call 

 "wild birds, " distinct so far as may be from "game birds " 

 and from domestic poultry. I mention this latter because I 

 find that at the International Ornithological Congress of 1884, 

 held at Vienna, one of the three chief points brought forward 

 seems to have been how best to improve the breed of 

 poultry. I am basing my paper on the plea that, speaking 

 generally, although bird-life may have increased in places, 

 many interesting, useful, and beautiful species are dis- 

 appearing ; a few rapidly, others more slowly though none 

 the less surely, and this I believe to be the opinion of the 

 majority of those who have considered the question. I 

 think we may claim that in England there is a strong 

 reaction in favour of protecting beautiful and rare species, 

 and many that were considered rare or were becoming so 

 have largely increased in numbers and also are increasing 

 their area of distribution, as, for example, the Great Crested 

 Grebe, many kinds of Pucks, which are now breeding 



