Abstract
ON July 30 there was read a third time in the House of Lords the WildBirds Protection Bill introduced by Viscount Grey of Fallodon. The Bill aims at the repeal of existing enactments on the subject, and at substituting new provisions on lines recommended in 1919 by a Departmental Committee. The measure appears to us to be a wise one which should be welcomed by ornithologists and other bird lovers and also on grounds of economic importance. More than this, it is a much stronger measure than any of its predecessors, and if it become law and be properly enforced it should give a much more effective protection than is at present possible. The important new powers are those which are to make it an offence to be in possession of any bird, part of a bird, nest, or egg which may be presumed to have been illegally taken, and those which are to place the onusof proof _oh the possessor. At present, on the other hand, the onus is on the prosecution, and the act of killing or taking is the material factto be proved: as a result, the skins and eggs of protected birds can beoffered for sale with impunity by taxidermists and dealers, and “plovers' eggs” are freely sold in shops and restaurants in the close season. The Bill has still to be passed by the House of Commons, but we hope that this may be successfully accomplished next session.
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Current Topics and Events. Nature 112, 213–216 (1923). https://doi.org/10.1038/112213a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/112213a0