5 
Mr. Dixon supported the resolution and said he was glad to see 
so many ladies present as they should be first and foremost in the 
protection of birds, men having the unenviable notoriety of being 
called the destroyers of everything, while women were recognized as 
guardian angels. He referred to the serious loss of bird life caused 
by the recent severe weather ; gulls had come up from the far-off sea 
to be fed by man, and the birds of the air had assembled round our 
homes, and if in their distress they thus looked to man, could we 
turn from them and refuse the protection they so sorely required. 
Mr. Craig hoped that in any Bill prepared in favour of further 
bird protection a clause would be introduced prohibiting the sale of 
larks for food. 
Mr. Ernest Bell thought it would be more effective for the 
County Councils if possible to lay down a general rule that all birds, 
with certain exceptions , should be protected, as that would extend 
protection to strange visitors who would not be taken into account 
in the preparation of any lists of protected birds. 
Dr. W. T. Greene said a great evil we had to cope with was the 
objectionable trapping that goes on in every direction and he wished 
that measures could be adopted requiring all trappers and traders in 
birds to take out a license. In his neighbourhood, (Belvedere, Kent), 
the birds were diminishing in numbers, the gcld-finches and linnets 
becoming very scarce as these creatures were trapped and sold for 2d. 
or 3d. a doz., to be ill-treated and destroyed without conferring 
benefit on anybody. 
Mr. Colam showed a very destructive and painful wire bird trap 
which was being sold by thousands. The Royal Society had worked 
hard to check the bird trapping evil. With reference to the sea gulls 
recently seen on the Thames, he knew his audience would be 
shocked to hear that there had been snarers cruel enough/o'catch 
these birds by means of fish hooks. Unfortunately there was no 
way of punishing such barbarity before March 1st. As a Vice- 
President he wished the Society for the Protection of Birds a 
continuance of success saying that any assistance he could render^it 
would always be at its disposal. 
The resolution was carried unanimously. 
Letters were read expressing regret on account of the writers’ 
inability to be present at the meeting from the Duchess of Portland, 
the Dowager Duchess of Wellington, Lord Lilford, Lord Wolseley, 
Sir John Lubbock, the Bishop of Durham, Canon Tristram, Lady 
Paget, Sir George Grey, Bishop Barry, Dr. Augustus Jessopp, Mr. 
Harvie-Brown, Mrs. Brightwen, the Headmaster of Harrow/;Sir 
Joseph Hooker, Mr. H. M. Stanley, Mr. Howard Saunders, Mr. 
John Cordeaux, Mr. Southwell, the Rev. A. L. Hussey, Colonel 
Coulson, and a telegram from Mr. Bayley, M.P. 
Mr. W. H. Hudson moved the vote of thanks to the Chairman. 
