﻿NOTES 
  AND 
  QUEBIES. 
  483 
  

  

  breeding 
  species, 
  deplore 
  the 
  wanton 
  cruelty 
  and 
  persecution 
  that 
  is 
  

   meted 
  out 
  every 
  season 
  to 
  these 
  tine 
  birds, 
  and 
  possibly 
  the 
  only 
  pair 
  

   at 
  present 
  known 
  to 
  breed 
  in 
  Ireland. 
  This 
  year 
  the 
  first 
  clutch 
  of 
  

   eggs 
  were 
  taken 
  by 
  a 
  native 
  — 
  who 
  was 
  doubtless 
  well 
  rewarded 
  — 
  and 
  

   sent 
  to 
  Dublin 
  ; 
  the 
  exact 
  address 
  can, 
  if 
  necessary, 
  be 
  disclosed 
  

   later. 
  The 
  birds, 
  thus 
  frustrated 
  in 
  their 
  first 
  attempt, 
  changed 
  the 
  

   nesting-site, 
  and, 
  although 
  the 
  wdiole 
  country-side 
  was 
  searched, 
  the 
  

   second 
  nest, 
  I 
  am 
  glad 
  to 
  say, 
  was 
  never 
  discovered. 
  The 
  parent 
  

   birds 
  were 
  seen 
  during 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  August 
  flying 
  backwards 
  and 
  

   forwards 
  from 
  the 
  sea, 
  generally 
  with 
  fish, 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  

   September 
  they 
  had 
  disappeared 
  from 
  the 
  district. 
  — 
  W. 
  C. 
  Wright 
  

   (Belfast). 
  

  

  Modern 
  Egg-collecting. 
  — 
  The 
  Kev. 
  J. 
  G. 
  Tuck, 
  in 
  his 
  interesting 
  

   note 
  (ante, 
  p. 
  851), 
  has 
  voiced 
  a 
  suspicion 
  which 
  must 
  have 
  occurred 
  

   to 
  many. 
  While 
  the 
  numbers 
  of 
  several 
  of 
  our 
  rarer 
  birds 
  rapidly 
  

   approach 
  vanishing 
  point, 
  the 
  dealers 
  continue 
  to 
  offer 
  in 
  undiminished 
  

   numbers 
  recently-taken 
  clutches 
  of 
  their 
  eggs, 
  " 
  with 
  full 
  details." 
  

   Every 
  right-thinking 
  naturalist 
  must 
  rejoice 
  when 
  the 
  wealthy 
  col- 
  

   lector 
  who 
  has 
  been 
  so 
  foolish 
  as 
  to 
  give 
  £15 
  for 
  his 
  set 
  of 
  Welsh 
  

   Kites' 
  eggs 
  is 
  imposed 
  upon 
  by 
  the 
  substitution 
  of 
  a 
  foreign 
  clutch. 
  

   I 
  say 
  this 
  advisedly, 
  knowing 
  something 
  of 
  the 
  ruin 
  which 
  the 
  modern 
  

   system 
  of 
  egg-collecting 
  is 
  bringing 
  to 
  our 
  rarer 
  native 
  species, 
  such 
  

   as 
  the 
  Eaven, 
  Buzzard, 
  and 
  Kite. 
  Posterity 
  will 
  probably 
  condemn 
  

   altogether 
  the 
  practice 
  of 
  making 
  private 
  collections 
  of 
  eggs, 
  especially 
  

   those 
  in 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  sought 
  to 
  illustrate 
  every 
  possible 
  variety 
  of 
  

   colouration 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  series 
  of 
  clutches 
  of 
  the 
  eggs 
  of 
  each 
  

   species, 
  however 
  rare 
  it 
  may 
  be. 
  Many 
  are 
  induced 
  to 
  collect 
  eggs 
  by 
  

   the 
  same 
  impulse 
  which 
  prompts 
  others 
  to 
  amass 
  old 
  china 
  or 
  bric-a- 
  

   brac, 
  but 
  with 
  the 
  difference 
  that 
  the 
  harm 
  which 
  they 
  do 
  is 
  irre- 
  

   parable. 
  Their 
  selfish 
  greed 
  and 
  love 
  of 
  acquisition 
  are 
  seriously 
  

   impoverishing 
  the 
  British 
  fauna. 
  Unfortunately 
  the 
  high 
  prices 
  

   obtained 
  for 
  " 
  well-authenticated 
  clutches" 
  at 
  recent 
  sales, 
  encourage 
  

   the 
  unscrupulous 
  collector 
  to 
  pay 
  a 
  high 
  figure 
  in 
  the 
  belief 
  that 
  the 
  

   value 
  of 
  his 
  eggs 
  will 
  increase 
  with 
  the 
  growing 
  scarcity 
  of 
  the 
  bird 
  

   which 
  laid 
  them, 
  and 
  that 
  consequently 
  his 
  collection 
  can 
  at 
  any 
  time 
  

   be 
  disposed 
  of 
  at 
  a 
  profit 
  if 
  brought 
  under 
  the 
  hammer. 
  As 
  illustrating 
  

   the 
  persecution 
  to 
  which 
  our 
  rarer 
  birds 
  are 
  exposed, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  men- 
  

   tioned 
  that 
  in 
  a 
  certain 
  district 
  in 
  mid-Wales 
  there 
  are 
  seven 
  pairs 
  of 
  

   Piavens. 
  They 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  allowed 
  this 
  year 
  to 
  bring 
  off 
  a 
  single 
  

   young 
  bird. 
  The 
  Buzzards 
  have 
  fared 
  very 
  little 
  better, 
  while, 
  need- 
  

   less 
  to 
  say, 
  the 
  Kites, 
  now 
  reduced 
  to 
  a 
  miserable 
  remnant 
  of 
  three 
  or 
  

   Zool. 
  4th 
  ser. 
  vol, 
  VIII., 
  November, 
  1904. 
  2 
  l 
  

  

  