BIRD NOTES AND NEWS. 



45 



Work in Japan. 



Twenty prize essays written by Japanese boys 

 and girls on the subjects " Man and Animals," 

 and "Children and Dragonflies," are published in 

 " Awaremi " ("Mercy"), the organ of the Tokio 

 Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. 

 The Society did the Society for the Protection of 

 Birds the honour of consulting it some little time 

 since, receiving all its papers ; and it is interesting 

 to note that this competition was arranged on 

 similar lines to those adopted in our Bird and 

 Tree scheme. Essays were invited from the 

 children of the Primary Schools throughout the 

 country, and nearly 400 compositions were sent 

 ir^. Unfortunately they are printed in the beautiful 

 and wonderful Japanese characters, so that the 

 unlearned Englishman cannot judge their merits ; 

 but in a country where — travellers tell us — children 

 never cry, and animals are never ill-used, there 

 should be a happy understanding between the 

 two. The Society, whose medal bears the head 

 of a horse wearing a quaint sun-hat, is endeavouring 

 to promote some sort of merciful care of horses 

 on the battle-field. 



Nature Study. 



Recent speeches of Sir George Kekewich and 

 Canon Rawnsley indicate peculiarly well the false 

 and the true methods of Nature Study. The 

 child who by becoming interested in natural life 

 learns to exercise observation, quickness of eye, 

 and intelligence, is, as Canon Rawnsley points 

 out, learning what will be of the utmost value in 

 any walk of life, as well as adding a thousand-fold 

 to its enjoyments. On the other hand, you may 

 bid him note every detail of the doings and diet 

 of a squirrel in a cage, or a grass-snake in a 

 vivarium, and you have taught him nothing, for 

 you have not cultivated his intellect by a true 

 study of facts, nor awakened his imagination by a 

 true study of nature. You may have taken a step 

 towards the formation of his character ; but, as 

 Sir George Kekewich observes, that step is in the 

 wrong direction. If we cannot have Nature Study 

 properly so-called, let us at any rate avoid mis- 

 chievous shams, and be content with the old 

 natural history of books and diagrams, which 

 has its rightful place among the bones of the 

 educational skeleton. 



police court cases from various localities ; because 

 they show clearly that magistrates are forming 

 decided opinions on the subject of. bird catching 

 and bird dealing, and are expressing those 

 opinions with refreshing plainness. When the 

 police throughout the country districts (especially 

 in the neighbourhood of large towns) are instructed 

 to enforce the Protection Acts and Orders, and 

 when magistrates in general share the views of 

 the Mayor of Brighton, the Mayor of Saffron 

 Walden, Mr. Loder, and Mr. J. W. Ford, there 

 will be hope of a very considerable suppression 

 of this detestable trade. 



The Magistrates and Bird Catchers. 



Considerable encouragement to the cause of 

 Bird Protection is to be found in the reports of 



PLUMES AND PLUME-BIRDS. 



In buying autumn and winter millinery ladies are 

 asked to help the Bird Protection movement, and 

 to discourage the slaughter of beautiful and useful 

 birds, by selecting hats and bonnets trimmed with 

 no feathers other than those of the ostrich or of 

 birds commonly used for food, such as game and 

 poultry. " Made-up" birds and ornaments should 

 be avoided, unless the plumage used is plainly 

 recognizable. 



The following feathers are especially to be 

 shunned by everyone interested in the preserva- 

 tion and protection of wild birds : 



" Ospreys." — These, whether the long and 

 slender kind or the short " brush " or " stub," are 

 all made from the breeding plumage of herons and 

 egrets, worn by the birds at no other season. 

 There are no such things as " artificial ospreys " 

 (see S.P.B. Leaflets, Nos. 27, 49, and 51), though a 

 few imitations are made from peacock and rhea 

 feathers (see Rhea). And there are no egret 

 farms. 



Paradise Plumes. — Birds-of-paradise are 

 obtained almost exclusively from New Guinea, 

 and are being terribly reduced in number. The 

 natives call them " God's birds " or " sun-birds " on 

 account of their gorgeous beauty. They are killed 

 chiefly at the breeding-time, for not only are their 

 plumes in perfection then (as is the case with all 

 birds), but they afford easy targets for the hunter. 

 The male birds assemble in companies on certain 

 trees to display their glories before the hens ; and 

 the hunter shoots them one after another as soon 

 as they begin their graceful evolutions, the birds 

 being so eagerly absorbed in their courtship that 

 almost all may be brought down before the danger 

 is heeded. The special plumes grow from the 



