HAMLYN'S MENAGERIE MAGAZINE. 
77 
We shall be pleased to hear from any of our 
readers, especially those who are dealers in birds 
and appliances, who will be willing to< support 
the appeal by promises of contributions toward 
the expense. 
It need scarcely be pointed out that while 
magistrates may think themselves entitled to de- 
cide cases according to their own personal pre- 
judices, yet our judges art guided only by the 
law, and there are plenty of precedents setting, 
forth that birds cannot within the meaning of the 
Act be considered as "recently taken" if they have 
been in the possession of their holder for more 
than fourteen days. 
The R.S.P.C.A. has openly avowed its in- 
tention of "doing away with the keeping of birds 
in sages," and its offirials would, if they could, 
make it illegal to keep a Canary or a Parrot. It 
is up to bird-keepers, who are better bird-lovers 
than those who earn their salaries by pandering 
to the sentiments of hysterical faddists, to see that 
this society does not effect its avowed purpose of 
doing away altogether with the keeping of 1 pet 
birds. 
On reading the above report in "Cage Birds" 
we forwarded Mr. Carl a cheque for £5 towards 
the appeal fund. 
We trust all Bird Keepers, Amateurs and 
Dealers will do likewise. 
" Cage Birds" deserve the thanks of the Bird 
Community for their able and fearless support of 
Bird Law cases. 
NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM. 
To the Editor of the "Daily Telegraph." 
Sir, — The Director of the British Museum 
(Natural History) is about to retire, and we learn 
with deep apprehension that the principal trus- 
tets, with whom the appointment rests, have re- 
ceived, or are about to receive, from the general 
body of trustees a recommendation to pass over 
the claims of scientific men and to appoint a lay 
official, who is at present assistant secretary. The 
former directors, Sir Richard Owen, Sir William 
Flower, and Sir Ray Lankester, like the present 
director, Sir Lazarus Fletcher, were all distin- 
guished scientific men. The Natural History 
Museum, is a scientific institution. There is a 
large ' t staff of scientilc keepers and assistants. 
The Director has to represent natural history to 
the public, to other scientific institutions at home, 
in the Dominions and Colonies and in foreign 
countries, and to the many Government depart- 
ments with which the Museum has relations. He 
must represent it with knowledge and authority. 
There are fewi postsi with such possibilities of ad- 
vancing the natural history sciences, of making 
them useful to the nation, and of interpreting them 
to the public. The existence of the post is a great 
stimulus to the zeal and ambition of zoologists and 
geologists. 
The arguments alleged in favour of the recom- 
mendation are trivial. It is stated that a former 
director was allowed by the trustees to leave the 
administrative details to the member of the cleri- 
col staff whom it is proposed to promote, that he 
performed these duties with ability, and during the 
tenure of the present director retained and ex- 
tended his powers. It is urged that the tenure of 
the new director would be short, as he would 
have to retire in two years under the age limit. It 
is pleaded that promotion would entitle him to a 
larger pension, and that he need not be called 
director, but only acting director. 
Plainly if the assistant secretary be the only 
man who knows the details of administration, it is 
important that the permanent director should be 
appointed at once, in order to have the opportuni- 
ty of learning them before taking them over. In 
actual fact there is nothing in the administrative 
work of the directorship that could not be learned 
in a few weeks or months by any person of ordin- 
ary intelligence At least two- of the present keep- 
ers are eligible for the vacancy, have attained the 
necessary scientific standing, and have ample ex- 
perience of the museum itself. To> pass over these 
or several eminent and eligible men not on the 
staff in favour of one of the ordinary office staff 
would be an affront to scientific men and ofi grave 
detriment to science. — We are, etc., 
W. BOYD DAWKINS, F.R.S. (Honorary 
Professor of Geology and Paleontology in 
the Victoria University of Manchester). 
J. COSSAR EWART, F.R.S. (Professor of 
Natural History in the University of 
Edinburgh). 
F. W. GAMBLE, F.R.S. (Professor of Zoo- 
logy in the University of Birmingham). 
J. S. GARDINER, F.R.S. (Professor of Zoo- 
logy in the University of Cambridge). 
WALTER GARSTANG, D.Sc. (Professor of 
Zoology in the University of Leeds). 
E. S. GOODRICH, F.R.S. (Aldrichian De- 
monstrator of Comparative Anatomy in 
the University of Oxford). 
W. A. HERDM'AN, F.R.S. (Foreign Secre- 
tary Royal Society, Professor of Natural 
History in the University of Liverpool). 
S. T. HICKSON, F.R.S. (Professor of Zoo- 
logy in the University of Manchester). 
