BIRD NOTES AND NEWS. 



59 



ROYAL SOCIETY 

 FOR THE PROTECTION OF BIRDS. 



The Annual Meeting of the Society, held at the 

 Westminster Palace Hotel on February 21st, 1905, 

 was distinguished by the presence of its President, 

 the Duchess of Portland, who presided, and con- 

 gratulated the Society upon its Incorporation by 

 Royal Charter. The speakers were Mr. Montagu 

 Sharpe, Sir Herbert Maxwell, Bart., M.P., Mr. 

 Sydney Buxton, M.P., Canon Rawnsley, Mr. Alfred 

 Austin, Dr. P. L. Sclater, Dr. E. A. Wilson, Mr. 

 T. Hastings Lees, and Mrs. Williamson, the 

 founder of the Society. It was announced that the 

 Duchess of Portland, the Duke of Bedford, the 

 Earl of Stamford, Lady Theodora Guest, Mrs. 

 Williamson, Sir Edward Grey, M.P., and Mr. 

 Yerburgh, M.P., had become Life Fellows of the 

 Society since the granting of the Charter ; and an 

 appeal was made for further Life Subscriptions in 

 order to give the Society the secure basis of larger 

 invested funds. The Report was adopted, and the 

 President, Council, and Officers were re-elected. 



[The Annual Report of the Society, with Pro- 

 ceedings at the Annual Meeting, may be obtained 

 from the Society's office, 3, Hanover Square, price 



one shilling.] 



» 



COUNCIL MEETING-. 



The Council of the Royal Society for the Pro- 

 tection of Birds met at 3, Hanover Square on 

 March 10th. Present : Mr. Ernest Bell, Hon. Sir 

 John Cockburn, Mr. H. E. Dresser, Hon. Mrs. 

 Drewitt, Mr. Hastings Lees, Mr. and Mrs. F. E. 

 Lemon, Mr. Meade-Waldo, Miss Pollock, and Mr. 

 Howard Saunders. 



The following appointments of Hon. Local 

 Secretaries were confirmed : — Bowden, Mr. T. A. 

 Coward ; Carlisle, Miss Blanche Hartley ; Chis- 

 wick, Mr. Edgar Syers ; Guildford, Mrs. Johnson ; 

 Kineton, Mrs. Timms ; Knutsford, Mr. C. Oldham ; 

 Petersfield, Mrs. Mackarness; Selborne, Mr. James 

 Norman ; Wentnor, Mrs. Wardman. 



It was reported that the Society's lantern slides 

 had been lent for the illustration of thirty-seven 

 lectures since Jan. 1st. 



Watching arrangements for Hascosay, Lundy 

 Island, Seaford, and Dungeness were considered. 

 Mr. Hoseason wrote from Hascosay that watchers 

 were on the island throughout the breeding season, 

 but, in spite of this, the sailing of a yacht round 

 the island, and the offer of a reward for informa- 

 ion, egg-lifting had not been wholly prevented, 

 the poachers sometimes escaping to boats before 



they could be identified. It was decided to provide 

 a strong glass for the watchers' use. 



Reports were received respecting the forth- 

 coming Ornithological Congress ; preparation of 

 the Society's seal (given by the Rev. A. L. 

 Hussey) ; destruction of Bitterns and other rare 

 birds ; instructions to H.M. Coastguard ; feather 

 sales on Feb. 14th ; Bird and Tree Day compe- 

 titions and festivals ; the Society's publications 

 and proposed new leaflet ; next season's Christmas 

 card, etc. 



It was agreed that a small committee should be 

 formed to consider certain recommendations to 

 be made to County Councils as to alteration of 

 Orders. 



With regard to a proposal for the manufacture 

 and sale of artificial eggs, it was decided that the 

 scheme scarcely came within the scope of the 

 Society's work ; but the models, submitted by a 

 manufacturer in the Potteries and made by a 

 special process, were considered excellent, and a 

 hope was expressed that they would be placed on 

 the market through educational supply stores. 

 Thanks were heartily accorded to Mr. J. R. B. 

 Masefield, and also to Mr. Keates, for the trouble 

 they have taken in the matter. 



Meetings of the Council were also held on 

 Jan. 13th and Jan. 27th, when the annual report 

 and accounts were considered, the new bye-laws 

 confirmed, and other business transacted. 



NOTES. 

 Bitterns in England. 



An unusual amount of attention has been drawn 

 to the killing of a little company of Bitterns who 

 made their appearance in January in this country, 

 where once their strange booming note was a 

 common sound of marsh and fenland districts. Of 

 the four or five counties where they have been seen 

 and shot, Cheshire is the only one which protects 

 the Bittern out of Close Time, and here a prose- 

 cution was unfortunately impossible ; the bird 

 alighted, wounded and in a last stage of weakness 

 and miser)', in a farmyard ; as to what exactly 

 happened then accounts vary, but the body of the 

 dead bird was claimed by the Chief Constable of 

 the county, so that we may trust it will not be 

 added to the proud possessions of the public-house 

 parlour or the gentleman collector's museum. 

 Another Bittern is, strange to say, reported 

 alive. It is, or was when last heard of, vigilantly 

 protected by the gamekeeper of the estate where- 

 on it sought shelter : a gamekeeper who has been 

 from boyhood a lover of birds, and who, to use his 



