HAMLYN'S MENAGERIE MAGAZINE. 



animal in Nature, a truly majestic creature well 

 worthy of preservation. 



For the benefit of' those who may visit the 

 Reserve, it may be of interest to know that fish 

 are plentiful in the " Hluhluwe" River and other 

 streams, and good catches can be made with light 

 tackle. 



The entomologist would not find the Reserve 

 a good field during September. 



THE RINGHALS COBRA. 

 MEASUREMENT RECORDS. 



In our issue of February 19th, J. C. Blandy, 

 Potchefstroom, wrote as fellows : — 



'"What is a record length for the ringhals 

 cobra? I notice mention in a recent issue of a 

 large cobra measuring 3ft. 3in. I killed a cobra 

 in my house last year which measured 4ft. 2in. 

 What is the life period of a cobra?" 



REPLY. 



Mr. F. W. FitzSimons, F.Z.S., Director of 

 the Port Elizabeth Museum, replies : — 



The record length of a ringhals cobra (Sepe- 

 don haemachates) is 3ft. The life period of snakes 

 is unknown. A cobra would probably live about 

 twenty years. 



Cobras vary in length according to the spe- 

 c'.es. Some of them grow to a length of 7ft. in 

 South Africa. One which occurs in the Transvaal 

 is an example — viz., the black-necked cobra 

 (Naia nigricollis). 



THE SALE OF GOLDFINCHES IN 

 LONDON. 



KING'S BENCH DIVISION. 



HARRIS v. LUCAS. 



Before Mr. Justice DarFng, Mr. Justice Avory, 

 and Mr. Justice Salter. 

 This was a case stated by a metropolitan 

 police magistrate. Complaint was made by John 

 Lucas, the respondent, under the Wild Birds' 

 Protection Acts, 1880 to 1908, and the Wild 

 Birds' Protection (Administrative County of Lon- 

 don! Order, 1909, against the respondent for hav- 

 ing in his possess ; cn 21 goldfinches "recently 

 taken." The complaint was heard on February 

 25. 1919, -by Mr. Clarke Hall, when the follow- 

 ing facts were proved or admitted. The appellant 



was a bird dealer who was carrying on business 

 at 112 and 114, Bethnal Green Road. On Janu- 

 ary 15, 1919, he had in h : s possession 21 gold- 

 finches which were sent later by him t'o the Army 

 and Navy Stores for exhibition and sale. The 

 birds had arrived in a cage on the same day from 

 Tipperary, where they had been taken on or 

 about December 3 last. Had the birds been sent 

 to London immediately after they were taken 

 they would not have arrived in a good condition. 

 The learned magistrate held that it was a question 

 of fact whether the birds were "recently taken" 

 and that he must take into consideration the 

 length of the journey from Tipperary to London, 

 the wildness of goldfinches when first caught, and 

 the necessity for waiting for some time before 

 sending them to London. Taking into considera- 

 tion that the appellant believed that he was acting 

 lawfully the magistrate did not convict, but or- 

 dered him to' pay .£5 5s. costs. 



Mr. Lewis Thomas, K.C., and Mr. Blanco 

 White now appeared for the appellant; and Mr. 

 Stuart Bevan, K.C., and Mr. Buchanan for the 

 respondent. 



Mr. Lewis Thomas said that it was really a 

 question of law what interpretation should be put 

 upon th phrase "recent taken" as used in section 

 3 or the Wild Birds' Protection Act, 1880. By 

 the Order of the Secretary of State of 1909 it was 

 an offence to have possession at any time in Lon- 

 don of certain wild birds "recently taken." He 

 (counsel) contended that the magistrate in decid- 

 ing what was the meaning of "recently taken" 

 had wrongfully taken into consideration matters 

 which had nothing to do with the case. All 

 that ought to have been considertd was the date 

 when the birds were captured and the date when 

 the birds were found in the possession of the ac- 

 cused. 



Learned counsel read the material sections of 

 the statutes and referred to the following authori- 

 ties : — Green v. Carstang (85 L.T. , 615); Hollis 

 v. Young (1909, 1 K.B., 629); Flower v. Watts 

 26 "The Times" L.R. 495; (1910, 2 K.B , 327); 

 and Rex v. Hopkins, ex parte Lovejov (104 L.T. , 

 917). 



(To be continued.) 



®- 



GENERAL NOTES. 



By John D. Hamlyn. 



THAT Mr. Harold J. Shepstone, F.R.G.S., con- 

 tmues to issue most interesting matter in 

 various publications concerning the "Trade in 

 Wild Beasts" on behalf of The World's Zoo- 

 logical Trading Syndicate, all of wfv'ch is most 

 interesting and amusing reading. 



