118 
HISTORICAL PART 
abode: but the conception here expressed has a certain 
ethical, if not a legal basis, which ought to be insisted on. For 
the agriculture of great civilised States, which are from day 
to day becoming more sensible of the dearth of useful birds, 
this is an important matter, which demands attention from 
the point of view, not only of the several States concerned, 
but of humanity, and must not be contemplated with indiffer- 
ence. 
The minutes of the Conference (referring to the draft of 
a Convention) were presented, through the Austro-Hungarian 
Foreign Ministry,^ to the Royal Hungarian Government, on 
Aug. 26, 1895: on Sept. 2. of the same year the Hungarian 
delegate presented his excellent report with 8 appendices.^ 
So, as far as Hungary was concerned, there was nothing to 
impede the way to the codification of the Convention, as the 
Government took no exception to it. 
Before proceeding further, we must make a few remarks 
,;Pro domo". 
On reading the certainly brilliant list of delegates, it must 
at once strike us that the Austrian and Hungarian delegates 
had one common expert adviser, whereas the two States 
cannot be treated as one, either politically, territorially or, in 
the matter of bird-protection, socially. 
We must admit that in 1891, i. e. before the Second 
International Ornithological Congress, there might have been 
some excuse for this slight: but it was out of place in 1895, 
since at the International Congress of 1891, Hungary dis- 
played a galaxy of ornithologists that secured Hungary no 
small share of international recognition. I will go further: in 
» For Min No. 38,850/11. Aug. 26, 1895. 
^ Hung. Min. Agric. 64,921/VII. Sept. 2, 1895. The Report is, how- 
ever, dated July 30, 1895. 
