J uac 21, i<ji7 
LAND & WATER 
17 
Letters to the Editor 
A Badge of Honour 
Sir, — Whatever iiiuy have been tlie original idea o.f the gold 
stripe granted to men wounded in action, it: has become a 
l)adge of honour in the sense that the V.C. or.D.S.O. is an 
award tor gallantry or good work done, not in any particular 
>,ainpaign, but simply a badge of mrrit. - 
According to regulations this badge of lioucur — that is, 
tlie gold stripe — can be worn by those who have been wounded 
in tuis war on any of its various fronts. Could this iKt 
111' extended to oihcers and men W(,uudeci in our ])revious wars ? 
They ha\'e equally risked their lives in the ser\ice of the Jiimpire 
and slicd their blood as ()ur men are nobly doing to-day. 
Ti ue, the conditions on the Western front are such that we 
" have never been called on to face before, but tiie other fronts 
arc not so much greater or entail severer hai'dships than our 
men were called on to face in, say the Boer War! 
There are to-day mdny bearing hoilfiurable sc^rs who aie 
unable to take' an activc.partin the.jM"eseij,t struggle either 
owing to yicse scars or because • their duties lie in another 
direction. -It docs seem an injiistice-t<^ them that the regula- 
tions should ignore the suflcring and pain they bore as their 
brothers are doing in these times. ' The War Otticc has often 
lacked imaginati'on, but its present head is a man of different 
stamp. Could not L.\.vD..& WArHR take, up this inequity and 
therein' ease the heart-burning that exists ? 
Cential Provinces, India. Old Soldier. 
Mentioned in Despatches 
Sir, -Special distinction en the field of battle is rigiitly 
c(«isidered to-day, an honour which should descend upon a 
brave man's children, widow or intimate relations, whether he 
lives or dies. The King hands to the next of kin the V.C. 
or medal which has been won by gallantry, but which the 
rightful recipient has not survived to receive. This is as it 
should be 
Now I would plead that this honourable custom be carried 
a stej) further and be made to apply to " Mention in 
Despatches." There can surely be no difficulty in issuing to 
the next-.ofrkin a diploma ur certificate cmbody.'Ug this 
distinction, when the man on whom it was bestowed has not 
survived to enjoy it. Only the other day 1 heard of a case 
of a gallant officer who died leading his men into action on 
the very day his name was mentioned in despatches. It 
also, by the way, happened" to be his birthday: 
it seems only just that in some way or other thiij hoiK)ur 
should be memorialised in the family of a brave man who has 
sacrificed his life, but how is it possible except in the wav I 
buggest ? 
St. James's Club, Piccadilly. 'iii.XE.x. 
Royal Titles 
SiK.-The King's act of reforming the titles of the Royal 
hamily 'will give especial pleasure in the Dominion "of. 
Canada. We are loyal supporters of the Tnrone, but have 
hnind it difficult to be enthusiastic over the lesser titles 
with their German twang. This new Order will immensely 
strengthen the" position of the Throne in the Greater 
Britains. A Canadian. 
Too Many Sea Gulls 
Sir,— I wonder how many readers of Mr. Baden-Powell's 
article on Salmon and Food Supphes in your May loth issue 
will have realised the vast importance of the subject of wliich 
he so ably treats, and the important part enacted by sea gulls 
in diminishing the fish suppiy of this country. My remarks 
do not especially apply to Liveipool and kindred seaports 
wliere the birds can pick up abundance of food from passing 
shiiJS, but apart from Lancashire and away from rivers and 
estuaries, the damage to the crops which they are responsible 
for is almost incredible. In addition to devouring millions 
of immature fish annually, they have become a perfect 
nuisaitce in the country. 
Since the passing of the Wild Birds Protection Act, they 
Iiave increased to an enormous extent, far beyond their natural 
food supplies, and have entirely changed their mode gf feeding. 
No doubt in moderate numbers they are beneficial to agri- 
( ulture, but since the passing of the Wild Bird Protection 
.\ct and The Gun License Act, their habits have completely 
■ hanged. In former times, when feeding inland, they only 
ite worms, insects, and grubs, but now for several months 
lliev feed almost entirely on grain. 
The damage they do before and during the harvest is very 
great, as they alight in thousands in the cornfields, and not 
only do they consume a large quantity of grain, but they 
break down the crops and shake out more than they consume. 
They also do a great deal of damage to the turnip ciops 
during the winter. They are very destructive on grouse 
moors — eating the eggs and young birds. 
I have been informed by men interested in salmon fishing 
that they do a great amount of harm in the estuaries of rivci> 
by eating the salmon smolts as they desccml to the. sea, 
but as to this I cannot speak from per.s(inal knowledge. It 
is interesting to note what Mr. Bade n-Powelf has to say. 
I have all along thought the Wild Bird Protec'tion Act ,t 
great mi.steke. If needed at all it should jiave apjjlicd only to 
any spacies which was becoming rare ;iik1 likely to beconiu 
extinct, and perhaps to purely insectivorous birds, altliougli 
as to the latter I do not. feel at all sure, as any species, if it 
increases beyond its natural food supply, is apt to change its 
mode of feeding like the sea gull has done. Now it is about the 
most common bird we have, and it eats great quantities of 
grain, fruy: and the eggs of other birds: .-Almost all birds are 
cpiite capable of looking after themselves and rcqiiire no leg'al 
protection. ' *■' ; " jt .^, 
Sea gulls are real sanitary evils ; in, addition t^ befouling 
th(^ decks of the stationary training ships they fly from one 
coast farm to another, they propagate foot and mouth disease, 
and probably arithrax. Sentiment plays a large part in 
their preservation, they are admired for their undeniable 
beauty and grace, but tbcre need be no misgiving, they are 
never doomed to become extinct. 
They have already been withdrawn from protection in Scot- 
land, and this should now be adopted in the food interests of 
this nation throughout the whole extent of the British Isles. 
C. BURLAND, M.D., 
Liverpool Senior Medical Inspectw, Board of Trade. 
Question of Reprises 
Sir, — The best answer to the iccent German air attacks 
on " The Fort of London " is an offensive aimed at an objective 
vital to the German military machine. The Observer urges 
that attacks should be made on Essen and other centres of the 
production of war material. So far so good : but may I again 
urge the importance of putting to the test of actual experience 
a sustained attack on the bridges over the Rhine ? They 
form the most vital points in the German lines of communica- 
tiom on the Western front. Over these bridges comes practically 
the whole army with its guns, munitions, and food. 
If our military authorities find that the task is impossible 
on account of the targets being small and well defended, 
they might consider the alternative of persistent attacks on 
the railway tracks leading to the bridges. The largest woukl 
be of indefinite length and not likely to be so well guarded, 
and so the airmen would be able to come down lower to mal»j 
sure of their aim. A series of bomb craters in the per- 
manent way, with fresh craters made daily, would break 
the lines of communication and put the whole Western 
army in jeoparady. 
The bridges themselves, as forming the necks of the bottles, 
are the better objective, but the destruction of the permanent 
way near to them would be easier ; but as the damage could 
be more easily repaired, the attacks woukl have to be more 
numerous and more persistent. •► 
New House, Wadhurst. J. W. Williams. 
The British and Russian matinee, which is to take place at 
Drury Lane Theatre nejct Thursday afternoon, the 2.Sth, in 
aid of British and Russian prisoners in Germany, promises 
to be a most disthiguished affair. It is organised by Lady 
Newnes, who has gathered together a wonderful coinpany. 
Sir Thomas Beecham is to gi\'e the first act of Boris Godouuov ; 
Madame Clara Butt will sing, and Lady Tree recite. The 
second part will consist of tableaux based on incidents in 
Russian history collected and arranged by Lady Newnes from 
books in the British Museum. Sir Phillip Burne Jones, Mr. 
Solomon, and Mt;. P. Macquoid are helping to arrange them. 
Amongst those who will take part are the Marchioness of 
Downsliire, Lady Florence Pcry, Lady Greville and her small 
son Ronald, Lady Swaythling, Lady Mary Strickland, Hon. 
Mi)yra Brodrick. Hon. Mrs. Arnold Henderson, Lady Abbot 
Aitdersou, and t ountess Isabel De Lalaing. Lady Newnes 
is >yalso taking part in a tableau. The dresses will be 
autheiiti.: ]()th Century Russian n^bes. The matinee itself is 
under the patronage of Oueen Alexandra. 
