66 Mr. J. Broivn on the 



important thing, the utility of gulls' wings, &c, for decorations. 

 He thought the gulls were useful in thinning the multiplication of 

 the herrings, and they should be very careful before they sought 

 their wholesale destruction lest they should injure their fisheries. 



Mr. Hamilton said that many seabirds when properly prepared 

 were quite eatable. 



Professor FitzGerald pointed out that while no doubt seabirds 

 had fed on herrings for thousands of years and thereby kept a 

 certain balance, in more recent times man had begun to fish also 

 thus disturbing the balance. In order to restore it he presumed 

 some birds would have to be sacrificed. 



Mr. W. J. Fennell said by a rather peculiar coincidence he had 

 received a letter that day from an American who had recently 

 paid a visit to Belfast and Portrush, and who wrote protesting 

 against the destruction of gulls. 



Mr. Brown in reply, said he felt gratified that the criticism was 

 on the whole favourable, and mentioned that since the paper was 

 written he had observed that the Royal Commission of 1879, 

 appointed to enquire into the Herring Fisheries of Scotland, 

 consisting of Frank Buckland, Spencer Walpole, and Archibald 

 Young, recommended the repeal of the Seabirds Preservation Act 

 so far as it applied to Scotland. 



Note added October, 1904. 



In the title of this paper it would have been more correct to 

 have put " Seabirds " for " Gulls " since the paper really deals 

 with various kinds of birds. 



The numerous notices of the paper published in the press of 

 the United Kingdom would indicate that it dealt with a subject 

 of considerable interest. An article on the subject, revised and 

 enlarged, was prepared for the Manchester Guardian of August 

 8th. 



Criticisms for and against were about equally divided. Amongst 

 the latter it was urged that the birds were beautiful, useful as 

 scavengers, and that destroying them was cruel, that if herrings 



