THE PROTECTION OF WILD BIRDS’ EGGS. 163 
two evident methods, by either of which, if pushed to an ex- 
treme, any species of bird may - be exterminated : one is the 
destruction of the birds themselves, and the other is the effectual 
prevention of the perpetuation of the species by the taking of the 
eggs. In cases where these eggs have a high market value, 
a temptation exists which is capable of affecting very seriously 
the wellbeing of the birds. 
It will be fresh in the recollection of naturalists that some 
few years since a company was formed in the Midlands, having 
an agent appointed, whose office it was to visit the islands off 
the coast of Scotland, there to take what rare eggs he could find, 
and to distribute these amongst the members in proportion to 
their subscriptions. Fortunately the scheme was frustrated by 
the exposure it received in the public press ; but here was a plan 
which, had it not been detected, would have resulted in the 
wholesale and possibly complete^ interference with the breeding 
of many species of rare birds. It is hardly to be supposed that 
other agencies of a similar though more discreet nature are 
not constantly at work, slowly but surely tending to diminish 
rare birds. 
It is at least intelligible when the eggs are taken for such 
a purpose, but they are liable to many other less plausible 
dangers: as was shown in 1890, when a party of gentlemen 
landed on the island of Grasholm, in the Bristol Channel, and 
wantonly destroyed large numbers of hard-set eggs by throwing 
them at a target. 
These and other instances were brought under the notice 
of the British Association at their meeting held at Cardiff in 
1891, and resulted in the appointment of a Committee “ to con- 
sider proposals for the legislative protection of wild birds’ eggs.” 
That Committee, consisting of the Rev. Canon Tristram, D.D., 
Prof. Newton, Prof. A. Leipner, Prof. Newton Parker, with 
Mr. Thomas H. Thomas, ex-President of the Cardiff Naturalists’ 
Society, as Chairman, and Dr. Vachell, then President of the 
Cardiff Naturalists’ Society, as Secretary, has since given the 
matter careful consideration. Two methods of affording protec- 
tion to wild birds’ eggs have been suggested, viz., that of schedul- 
ing the eggs of the species to be protected in a similar way to 
that by which the birds themselves are treated ; and (2) enabling 
County Councils, with the approval of a Secretary of State, to 
reserve certain localities for a certain time in each year as 
places of refuge, where no eggs of wild birds might be taken. 
The first method was rejected as certain to end in failure, in 
consequence of the well-recognised difficulty in identifying the 
eggs of many species, and especially those of sea birds. The 
second plan has already been tried with success in Australia, 
where the protected areas are termed “ Sanctuaries.” This 
was, after full consideration, adopted by the Committee, and 
strongly urged upon the supporters of the Bill in the House of 
Lords ; and after due precautions had been inserted for the strict 
