16 



BIRD NOTES AND NEWS. 



NEWS FROM BRANCHES. 



At a meeting held in June, 1903, of the Committee o± 

 the Bristol Branch, of which the Bishop of Bristol is 

 President, the following resolution was unanimously 

 adopted :— 



" That this Committee desires to draw the attention of 

 those responsible for the education of the young, both in 

 secondary and elementary schools, to the grave objection 

 of permitting collections of objects of natural history, 

 such as birds' eggs and butterflies, to be made by the 

 pupils in connection with nature study. Such collections 

 necessitate the destruction of animal life and species, and, 

 in the case of birds, frequently involve a breach of the 

 law, whereas nature study was intended to cultivate the 

 power of observation, and to awaken in the children an 

 intelligent interest in the ordinary objects of natural life." 



The Southport Branch had a most successful Annual 

 Meeting (briefly alluded to in our last issue) on June 17th, 

 when the Mayoress of Southport, Mrs. T. L. Scarisbrick, 

 presided over a large gathering. The report, read by the 

 Hon. Secretary, Mrs. Edwin Walker, showed an increase 

 in membership from 87 to 192 ; it welcomed the institution 

 of a clay-bird club, and stated that protests had been made 

 against the "starling shoots" of the Southport Gun Club 

 and the destruction of rooks' nests and eggs. The report 

 having been adopted and officers re-elected, the meeting 

 unanimously passed a resolution calling the attention of 

 the Town Council to the unsuitability of the position of the 

 aviary in Hesketh Park, as it faced north-east, and was 

 cold and sunless. We regret to learn that this protest 

 has been of no avail. 



Mr. John Elliott, J. P., of Sunnyside, Hoylake, is 

 forming a new Branch of the Society for Wirral, and 

 kindly undertakes the Hon. Secretaryship. Miss Violet 

 Coutts, the Well House, Banstead, succeeds Miss Neville 

 as Hon. Secretary for Banstead. Miss Denton, 25, Bilton 

 Road, takes the Hon. Secretaryship for Rugby, vacated 

 by the removal of Mrs. H. S. Tunnard, whose enthusiasm 

 did so much to advance the work in that district. Mrs. 

 Grant Wilson resigns the Hon. Secretaryship for Monmouth 

 on leaving the town. 



IN THE COURTS. 



Henry Pannett was summoned at Lewes on July 14th 

 for taking wild birds (non-scheduled) in close time, also 

 for cruelly tying their legs with string. Defendant had 

 been commissioned to catch birds by another man who 

 had permission from the owner of land, but as authority 

 cannot be transferred in this manner he was ordered to 

 pay 2s. 6d. costs in the first case ; in the second case he 

 was fined 7s. 6d. 



A curious defence was raised at Stirling Sheriff Court 

 on June 27th, when a miner, W. McLuckie, was charged 

 with having three larks in his possession. It was admitted 

 that the birds were taken from the nest, but the solicitor 

 argued that the purpose of the Act was to see that birds 

 were not taken for the purpose of being destroyed, and 

 that the mere fact of putting them in a cage was no con- 

 travention of the statute ; all depended on the meaning 

 of the word " taken." The Sheriff-Substitute said the 

 offence was just the kind the Act aimed at ; it was 

 intended to protect the life and liberty of wild birds, and 

 expressed itself very clearly. He imposed a fine of 10s. 



A shocking case of cruelty has excited much attention 

 at Meopham, in Kent, where a boy named Philip Lynds 

 was charged with having, on May 5th, ill-treated a black- 

 bird by catching it in a net and cutting off its beak, 

 tongue, and claws. The case was brought under the 

 Wild Animals in Captivity Act, and a point of law was 



raised as to whether it came within the statute. The 

 Bench decided that the bird was in " close captivity " 

 within the meaning of the Act ; but after two adjourn- 

 ments the case was, on June 28th, dismissed, the chairman 

 saying that the evidence was very contradictory, and 

 warning the boy that there was a strong suspicion against 

 him, and he would do well to be kind to animals in 

 future. (In consequence of the indignation aroused by 

 the case a Band of Mercy has been started at Meopham.) 



At Holt Petty Sessions, on August 24th, William 

 Newton, described as a gentleman, of Cley-next-the-sea, 

 was fined £1 and costs, £1 13s. 6d., for taking eight 

 terns' eggs from nests on Blakeney Point on June 10th, 

 contrary to the Norfolk Bird Protection Order. The 

 prosecution was instituted by the Cley and Blakeney 

 Wild Bird Protection Association, which has done good 

 work in protecting the terns in the district ; the birds 

 have in consequence increased considerably, and some 

 200 pairs nest at Blakeney every year. 



At Bristol, on August 21st, two bird-catchers were 

 convicted of cruelty to linnets by overcrowding them. 

 One of the men was carrying a cage 3ft. nin. by 7in., 

 in which were sixty-two linnets and a chaffinch ; and 

 they had also in their possession smaller cages containing 

 single decoy birds. Fined 2s. 6d. each. 



LECTURE SEASON, 1903-4. 



The Society for the Protection of Birds possesses upward 

 of 700 lantern slides, which are at the disposal of Associate 

 Members for the illustration of lectures in promotion of 

 the objects of the Society. As early an application as 

 possible should be made for the loan of slides, as during 

 the winter months they are in constant demand. Lists 

 and full particulars will be sent on application to the 

 Secretary. The following lectures are available for lend- 

 ing, with or without slides : 



1. Birds and their Protection. By W. Kennedy, B.A. 



2. Birds at Home and Abroad. 



3. Concerning our Common Birds. 



4. Birds of Legend and Song. 



5. Bird Facts and Fancies. (Lecture to Children.) 



6. Birds on the Land. (In preparation.) 



Songs illustrated with slides, and books of suggested 

 programmes are also lent to Associates arranging enter- 

 tainments, etc., to help the work. 



PICTURE POSTCARDS. 



Now ready, in packets of one dozen (four assorted 



designs), is. a packet. Single card lid., post free 



No. 1. The Magic Circle. No. 3. The Birds' Pillar Box. 

 No. 2. Woodland Notes. No. 4. At My Window. 



Published by the Society for the Protection of 

 Birds, 3, Hanover Square, W. 



Next Issue. — The next Number of Bird Notes 

 AND News will be ready on December 1st. 



Bird Notes and News will be sent post free to any 

 address for is. per annum, payable in advance. 



To Associates of the Society subscribing 5s. and 

 upwards per annum it will be forwarded gratis and 

 post free. 



Printed by Witheriw & Co., 326, High Holborn, W.C., and 

 published by the Society for the Protection of Birds, 3, 

 Hanover Square, London, W., of whom copies may be obtained, 

 price 2d. each. 



