THE FIRST STEPS 
35 
fiations and that, whereas the contracting States would have 
to accept the same word for word „en bloc", it might very 
easily happen that the Parliament of one or other of the 
States might reject one or other detail of no importance, a fact 
which would frustrate the whole movement or at any rate 
considerably delay the final solution. 
It appeared, therefore, far more opportune to draw up I87l. 
certain declarations of principles in general clauses, to be 
adopted by the contracting States in the form of an agreement 
— Convention — , the said States binding themselves to carry 
out and enforce the protection of useful birds, as defined in 
the declarations of principles, in their respective countries. 
In accordance with this decision, the Swiss Federal Council, 
in 1872, proposed the summoning of an international com- 1872. 
mission to draft the agreement ; this proposition was seconded 
by the German Government. But the Commission never met, 
because the preliminary negotiations failed and the States 
which were called upon to join raised many objections. 
Seeing that the dearth of game in Italy made the catching 
of birds in that country of prime importance as a means of 
subsistence for the lower classes, a fact which was naturally 
the chief obstacle to obtaining the consent of Italy to the 
movement, it was considered of the first importance to take 
advantage of the courtesy and goodwill displayed by the 
Italian Cabinet to obtain securities that the existing or threat- 
ened obstacles should be removed. To perform this delicate 
task one of the most prominent zoologists of the day, Ritter 
von Frauenfeld, the keeper of the Vienna Imperial Museum 
(at that time the „Naturalien Cabinet"), was sent to Florence 
to try to come to an agreement on certain points with Pro- 
fessor Targioni-Tozetto, the delegate of the Italian Government. 
After an exhaustive treatment of the subject, the two 
experts drew up the following articles: 
3* 
