138 
NATURE NOTES. 
naturalist who would love to watch the living bird and learn its 
ways and curious instincts — surety a far higher and more noble 
use of time and energy than simply levelling the murderous gun 
at every living thing that ventures within reach. This it is 
which effectually prevents our fauna ever being enriched by rare 
birds settling and breeding in England. It is touching to think 
that the little foreigners arrive again and again, weary from their 
long journey across the sea, always to receive the same inhospit- 
able treatment. If only others felt as strongly on this subject as 
I do they would be ashamed to appear in the newspapers as 
murderers of rare specimens. I earnestly wish each such notice 
could bring down the severest censure on the so-called sports- 
men. If Selbornians will but have the courage to boldly ex- 
press their opinions on this matter we may be able to gradually 
create such a reaction that, instead of being pained by such 
tales of cruel slaughter as in the recent case of the gannet 
massacre, we may be gladdened by reading of rare birds, noticed , 
let alone, and breeding in various places. 
Eliza Brightwen. 
P.S. — It is well to have a Russia leather cover for the feather 
book to keep away moths ; such a cover has protected my books 
for more than twenty years ; the feathers are as fresh to-day as 
when first arranged. I hope I may hear that many readers of 
Nature Notes have been led to begin this artistic and pleasant 
employment for leisure hours. 
FIELD PATHS. 
fc«WTp|| ISS OCTAVIA HILL, who takes much interest in 
the work of the Selbome Society, has kindly sent us 
!P.hwJI ' (through Miss Agnes Martelli) the following extracts 
' from William Howitt’s Book of the Seasons, first pub- 
lished in 1830. They are very interesting, as showing how sixty 
years ago, long before the starting of any of the Societies which 
Mr. Hunter has lately described in our columns, the need for 
such organizations was keenly felt. Miss Octavia Hill tells us 
that it is to the enthusiasm of Mrs. Hill, her mother, that w r e 
are indebted for the selection and transcription of these extracts 
and several others which we have not, unfortunately, sufficient 
space to insert : — 
“ I love our real old English footpaths. I love those rustic 
and picturesque stiles opening their pleasant escapes from fre- 
quented places and dusty highways into the solitudes of nature. 
It is delightful to catch a glimpse of one on the old village 
green, under the old elder-tree by some ancient cottage, or half 
hidden by the over-hanging boughs of a wood. I love to see 
