192 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



At at similar meeting, on March 7th, Mr. W. E. de Winton exhibited 

 and made remarks upon the tail of a Common Fox (Canis vulpes), showing 

 the gland on the upper surface covered with straight coarse hair, the exist- 

 ence of which appeared to be little known. 



The Annual Meeting of the Society for the Protection of Birds was held 

 on Feb. 28th, Sir Edward Grey, M.P., in the chair. The Report, which 

 was presented by Mr. Sharpe, chairman of the executive committee, stated 

 that the total number of members is now over 20,000, and the branches 

 number 152. The Society still continued its campaign against the wearing 

 of Ospreys, but without apparently much effect, as in 1898 nearly 35,000 

 Birds of Paradise and 2200 packages of Osprey plumes were sold in six days 

 at auction. With regard to Ospreys worn by the officers of certain regiments, 

 a promise had been given by Mr. Brodrick that an effort will be made to 

 find a substitute. Sir Edward Grey, in moving the adoption of the Report, 

 said the Society had done much to awaken public opinion to the need of 

 checking the wanton destruction of bird-life. But a wholesale destruction 

 of foreign birds in the breeding season still went on, with a view to supplying 

 ornaments for hats, which would necessarily lead to the extinction of certain 

 species. People did not realize this. Considerable power had been given 

 to county councils to protect bird-life, and they had responded very well, 

 and in most cases had passed very satisfactory bye-laws. But the real 

 difficulty was the enforcement of these rules. 



We have received from the " Humanitarian League " a tractate on " The 

 Cost of a Seal-skin Cloak," by Joseph Collinson. He who reads may 

 literally sup on horrors as the callous destruction of these animals is 

 detailed. Allowing, however, for all exuberant animal sympathy, and 

 offending no " philistine " with the introduction of a new "fad," we must 

 agree with much that is here written. The writer pithily remarks : — " It 

 is a remarkable fact that during the whole of the time that the Anglo- 

 American controversy raged over the Behring Straits Seal question, not 

 one word should have been said on behalf of the Seals themselves. The 

 flood of talk swept on ; there was a great deal said about ' rights ' — every 

 right, indeed, was abundantly discussed except the right of the Seals, if not 

 to live their lives in their own way, at least to humane treatment when the 

 time comes round to kill them. The horrible tortures inflicted on these 

 helpless animals to provide mankind with Seal-skin were treated as if they 

 were entirely immaterial." 



