SELBORNIA NA 
187 
A Rabbit’s Faithfulness. — “ An incident, illustrating in a 
terrible fashion the cruelties of the steel trap, is reported from 
Leedstown (Cornwall). A trapper was going Ids rounds when 
he came upon a rabbit nursing its young while it was held 
securely fast in a steel trap. In order to do this it had to turn 
over on its side and suffer excruciating pains, as both its forelegs 
were broken and bleeding in the teeth of the trap .” — Daily 
Chronicle. 
Murderous Millinery Again.— A correspondent sends us 
the following letter, which appeared in the Daily Mail of 
September 14 : — 
Sir, — Hearing from a well-known milliner that toques and hats made of 
seagulls are to be much worn this winter, I should like to inform your readers 
of the extreme cruelty practised on the coast of France, where the seagulls are 
killed in great numbers and sent over to this country. 
I have stayed for several summers at Ambleteuse, near Boulogne, and was 
horrified at the method of killing the birds. The female is wounded, and 
allowed to flap about the beach for hours, uttering doleful cries to attract the 
male birds, who are shot as they appear. My brother, on attempting one day 
to put a bird out of its misery, was stopped by a man, who angrily asked him 
to leave it alone, as it was being used as a decoy. 
Beaulieu, New Forest, Hants. Bird-Lover. 
The Royal Photographic Society’s Exhibition. — In 
previous years we have had occasion to call the attention of 
our readers to the excellent exhibitions of this Society ; but 
we hardly think that any of them have equalled in variety of 
interest and perfection of technique the collection now on view 
at the New Gallery, Regent Street. Our general impression of 
the principal — the west — room is that a very high artistic level 
of selection, composition and tone has been reached. We w r ere 
more especially struck by some studies of snow and a wonderful 
“ Mid Ocean,” by Mr. F. J. Mortimer. Photographs of a 
scientific character, it is, however, to be noted, are exhibited in 
the Balcony, where also are Mr. C. Welborne Piper’s remark- 
able models of light-pencils, illustrating aberration. From 
Greenwich Observatory come views of last year’s solar eclipse. 
Sir Norman Lockyer sends views of our ancient megalithic 
circles, which he has recently described as astronomical observa- 
tories dating back more than 2000 b.c. Dr. Tempest Anderson 
exhibits splendid pictures of Table Mountain, and of the falls 
of the Zambesi ; and Dr. Vaughan Cornish a remarkable series 
illustrating sand-flows. Mr. Oliver Pike has four fine views of 
one of our few surviving Kites, and he also exhibits a large series 
of tricolour lantern-slides of the nests of British Birds. Messrs. 
J. Peat Millar, W. P. Westell and C. M. Cooper illustrate the 
Cuckoo ; Miss E. L. Turner and Mr. W. Bickerton the Grebe; 
and Dr. F. Heatherley and Mr. W. Farren the Curlew. Mrs. 
L. J. Veley has some interesting studies of the Meerkat and 
the Mongoose, and Mrs. L. Birt-Baynes of the Prairie-Wolf; 
nor must we omit Mr. Savile- Kent’s large series of fish and 
