power for the best moral life of the boy or the girl when they came 
to be man and woman, they would feel that a godly work as well 
as a really British work—a work for the nation—was done by so 
encouraging them to become naturalists. 
Mr. Sydney Buxton, M.P., as Treasurer of the Society, had 
great pleasure in supporting the adoption of the report, and was 
glad to be able to assure the Members and others that on the 
whole the finances were in a sound state, though this year, it was 
true, they had spent rather more than their income on the General 
account. Any additional assistance received by way of subscription 
or donation would be not only gratefully received, but very well 
expended, as there was unlimited scope for the action of the 
Society, and they were only limited by the want of funds. 
They were greatly indebted to Mr. Milnes Gaskell for his generous 
support of the Watchers’ Fund during the last year or two, and 
again, he was glad to say, this year. Sir Edward Grey in his 
remarks spoke of the advantage of not only protecting birds 
generally in the counties, but of having as far as possible sanc¬ 
tuaries where they should be undisturbed and left in their wild 
state. That was the object and the idea of the Watchers’ Fund ; 
a fund which he specially commended to their attention. He was 
glad to say, not only had they this Fund, but they had been able 
to enlist the sympathies and the active support of His Majesty’s 
servants the coastguard in assisting to carry out this work. He 
thought it very striking testimony to the position of the Society, 
and to the good work that they had done, that they had obtained 
this official assistance. 
The Chairman and Canon Rawnsley referred in very kind terms 
to a Bird Protection Bill he had the satisfaction of getting through 
the House of Commons last night. He had been in the House 
now more years than he cared to remember, and could claim, 
at least, to have done two useful things, and they were both, he 
was glad to say, in connection with Bird Protection Bills. His 
Bill of a year or two ago, which he really thought had had 
a very useful effect, enabled the magistrate not only to fine the 
breaker of the law but to confiscate the bird or the egg taken. 
One of the disadvantages of the previous Acts—a hole in the net 
through which many escaped—was that the value of the skin of a 
rare bird was of perhaps some pounds value, and the utmost fine 
that could be imposed was twenty shillings. This second Bill, which 
he hoped would pass the House of Lords in the course of a few 
days, under the guidance of Lord Granby, and be placed on the 
Statute Book, was to prohibit the very cruel pole-trap. That trap, 
no doubt, was ostensibly set in order to kill birds of prey, but it 
was much more effective in killing owls and other harmless birds, 
and birds which they desired, as far as possible, to protect. 
The Chairman had spoken of the much greater interest which 
