THE AX K UAL COX VERS AZIOX E 
III 
many interesting birds resort on account of its secluded position 
and mild climate. There are many other peninsulas, islands, 
mountain valleys, moorlands and marshes which could be ma.rked 
off for the same purpose. In these there should be no asphalt 
path^, no band-stands, no refreshment kiosks (so dear to the 
heart of a municipal council), no azaleas or rhododendrons, no 
foreign beasts or birds. There must be guardians of these 
national parks who have the right to punish with the utmost 
severity the strewing of paper and bottles, the killing of any 
bird or beast, or the digging up of plants. Otherwise there 
shall be as little interference with the liberty of the subject as 
possible. No band shall play, no advertisement shall be per- 
mitted, nor shall any alcohol be sold therein. 
Perhaps I might venture to make one last appeal, this time 
not to our enemies, but to our friends. A number of enthusiastic 
men record month by month the arrival — and almost simulta- 
neously the death — of rare birds. A perfunctory remark of regret 
appears in announcing the killing, but almost immediately after- 
wards a sort of apology is inserted to the effect that the creature 
was killed for identification to ascertain whether it was the 
Greater or Lesser Redpoll, whether it was Snooks’ Wren or 
Brooks’ Wren. Now is not all this a little ridiculous ? Do we 
not quite sufficiently know how to classify our fauna, at any rate, 
in birds and mammals? It is the rather attenuated remains 
of the fauna of North-western Europe with, on the part of the 
birds, occasional arrivals from the other side of the Atlantic, 
or from Scandinavia or Holland. Having put it at that, could 
we not all band together to punish any further slaying of new 
or rare birds that arrive on these shores ? Would it not be 
preferable to put aside the bird gun in favour of the telephoto- 
graphic lens ? Does it really matter very much whether it is 
Jones’ Warbler or Robinson’s Fly-catcher, provided it is a new 
or rare kind of Sylvia or Muscicapa which, with absence of 
persecution, may take up its abode in these islands ? 
May I venture to hope in conclusion that Lord Avebury, who 
has done so much already to save our beauty of landscape and 
what remains of our wild beasts and birds, will not relax in his 
efforts to secure protection for both ? 
On the motion of th-e President, a hearty vote of thanks was 
returned to Sir Harry Johnston for his address, and to Mr. Nash 
for reading it. Mr. Rashleigh Holt- White proposed, and Pro- 
fessor Boulger seconded, a vote of thanks to His Majesty’s First 
Commissioner of Works and to the Civil Service Commissioners 
for permission to hold the Conversazione in the offices of the 
latter. Dr. Dudley Buxton, in a few well- chosen words, pro- 
po.sed a vote of thanks to Lord Avebury for presiding ; this was 
seconded by Mr. J. Shaw Crompton, R.I., Chairman of the 
Conversazione Committee, and was carried unanimously. 
As usual, there was a large series of exhibits brought together. 
