SELBOR.NIANA 
45 
of Columbia, of birds, feathers, or parts of birds for ornamental 
purposes, except such as are excepted in the preceding sections 
of this act, be, and the same is hereby, prohibited. Whoever 
shall violate the provisions of this section shall, upon conviction, 
be punished for each olTence by a tine of 50 dols.” 
A Dki-en’ce of Hakhko Wire. — Mr. K. Denny Urlin sends 
the following : 
“ .V most interesting passage occurs in the current number 
of Longman's Magazine (p. 321), the author being Mr. Rider 
Haggard, who has large experience of country life: ‘In 
walking in the Bath-Hills plantation this evening I observed 
that my plan of enclosing the hill with barbed wire is already 
beginning to bear fruit. I can never remember seeing or 
hearing so many birds about the place. In addition to all the 
commoner kinds, I observed a yellov.-ish bird with the shape 
and general appearance of a hawfinch, with which I am quite 
unfamiliar ; also green woodpeckers, hawks, nightjars, and I 
think jays, and many others.’ 
“ This is a valuable hint for those who, like myself, believe 
that the nests of thrushes, blackbirds and robins are attacked 
by boys — nothing but barbed wire can keep these latter away. 
It may be objected that barbed wire is annoying to people who 
follow the harriers. This may be true, but my sympathies are 
rather with the hare, than with the men and dogs who chase 
this harmless and timid little animal to its destruction, I have 
long thought a hare-hunt a degrading spectacle.” 
Wild Birds and Ferns. — Mr. S. L. Petty, of Ulverston, 
writes : “ Your note on the extermination of ferns by trade 
‘ collectors ’ is a matter which affects the Lake district quite as 
much, if not more than, Devon and Cornwall. Lanes which a 
few years ago contained lady fern or hart’s tongue (varieties also 
in some) are now as bare of them as the back of my hand. 
Primroses, too, are much less common on the outskirts of the 
district than formerly. I cannot say if this is due to the efforts 
of Sir G. Birdwood and the Primrose League, but it is quite 
likely. Why will no celebrity take a fancy to groundsel, 
charlock, or knapweed [Centaurea nigra), all of which are much 
too common with us. The remedy 5’ou recommend is doubtless 
the best, for if no buyers are forthcoming the trade is likely to 
decline to a large extent. But alas ! we suffer more from the 
visitors than from the ‘ trade.’ From Easter to Michaelmas 
these people are at work, and it is a very common thing to see 
baskets and hampers of ferns on the platforms of the stations of 
Keswick, Windermere, and Ulverston, most of which are put 
into trains going south. More vexatious still is the thought that 
many of these dangerous visitors of ours are, or profess to be, 
admirers of Wordsworth, and some are Selbornians ! This is 
not pleasant to know. Lest it be thought I ‘ draw the long-bow,’ 
I know of a case of a clergyman and Selbornian who exter- 
