IGNORANCE OF NATURAL HISTORY. 
CRUELTY TO PARROTS. 
Alfred Swan, manager to Mr. Cross, a dealer in birds 
and beasts, of Earl Street, Liverpool, was summoned in 
October 1869 by William Henry Saunders, an inspector 
of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to 
Animals, for torturing and ill-using six parrots. Inspector 
Saunders was upon the platform of the Herne Hill Station, 
when his attention was drawn to a small box which had 
recently arrived by train from Liverpool. He found the 
box to contain six live parrots. Through a crevice in the 
box he saw that the birds were in a distressed condition 
and trampling upon one another. He felt it was his duty 
to get another box, and did so, and the birds were trans- 
ferred to that and water supplied to them. He found the 
birds were much distressed, three that had been trampled 
upon being in a most exhausted condition. The birds, 
after receiving the water, ceased their cries, which had 
evidently been those of distress. Upon the box was a 
ticket bearing the words, “ Perishable, live birds.” Both 
Mr. Cross and defendant denied there was any cruelty, 
and declared it was necessary to send parrots not in a 
large box so that they could do one another injury on the 
way. Counsel submitted several objections to the 
summons, and urged that if any offence had been com- 
mitted it was not in the jurisdiction of this court, but at 
Liverpool. He also questioned whether parrots came 
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