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PROTECTION OF THE SMALL BIRDS. 
The spirit of the existing law affords suitable protection 
for the small birds. In a law relating to birds of this class I am 
of the opinion that it is wise to make as few exceptions as 
possible, and if any be made, that they be of really injurious 
and manifestly undesirable species, and such as are well known 
to everyone, so that there can be no confusion ; otherwise it will 
defeat the aim of the law in regard to species having «a more 
or less close resemblance to those left unprotected. This is 
the case to-day in many of the American States, where certain 
definite birds (such as the English sparrow) are unprotected, 
and advantage is taken by small boys with air guns to kill 
any of a dozen or so species of the smaller and duller birds, 
which will pass as sparrows if they happen to encounter 
a police constable of average intellect in their wanderings. 
Thus in St. Vincent if the Grass bird were unprotected, the 
Blue Head (Huphonia flavifrons), Hen Red Breast (Loxigilla 
noctis) and Lady bird (Vireo calidris) might suffer; if the 
Bequia Sweet (Qwiscalus luminosus), it might be injurious to 
the Tick bird (Crotophaga ani), ete. 
BOUKS ON LOCAL ORNITHOLOGY. 
I have appended a list of sueh books and articles as would 
be of value to anyone interested in native birds. The list 
ineludes references to the literature on the birds of the Wind- 
ward Islands, and is not confined exclusively to that of 
St. Vincent. The most useful books are perhaps Cory’s ‘Birds of 
the West Indies’, and Ridgeway’s ‘Birds of North and Middle 
America’. The former, while giving minute descriptions of the 
native birds, only mentions by the scientific name such North 
American species as regularly or occasionally visit this island. 
Thus, for these it would have to be used in connexion with 
some standard American work, such as Chapman’s ‘Birds of 
HKastern North America.’ There are no local names given for 
the West Indian birds, but this will not be found to present 
any difficulty, if it be used in connexion with this list: 
Ridgeway’s book contains detailed and minute accounts of all 
the birds occurring in the West Indies, and is a most valuable 
book of reference, in fact, the best on the subject up to date, 
The works mentioned may be obtained through the larger 
dealers in scientific books, such as Dulau & Co., London ; List 
and Franke, Berlin, or Oswald Wiegel, Leipzig, who often 
have them on hand, either as separates, or in part of the 
volumes in which they occur. As practically all are out of 
print, there is no other way of getting hold of them. 
INTRODUCTION OF FOREIGN BIRDS. 
One point I should like to bring up. It has been proved 
to be bad policy to introduce foreign birds or mammals into 
# country, except in the case of such as can be ‘readily killed 
out if occasion requires it: that is, large herbivorous mammals, 
or game birds. Introduced species are liable to take on certain 
habits which render them obnoxious, however beneficial they 
may have been in their own country, and which it may be 
wholly impossible to foretell. To.show to what. an extent 
