SEVENTH REPORT OF The Cornwall Bird Watching and Preservation Society. 1937. Edited by B. H. RYVES and D. VALENTINE. The Annual Meeting was held at Truro on February 27, Mr. A. C. Polwhele, the President, taking the chair. Arising out the Minutes of the last meeting held in 1936, the Secretaries announced that the fee for affiliation with The Association of Bird Watchers and Wardens had been duly remitted and the thanks and appreciation of its Secretary received. The Secretaries further reported that, as a result of the Society's generous donation of £25 towards the Pentire Head Appeal, the National Trust had sent to the Society a Life Membership card which admits the holder free to those properties where a charge is made to the general public. Mr. G. H. Harvey stated that the local Farmer had promised that he himself would endeavour to put a stop to the shooting of any birds in the Protected Area of the Kittiwake Colony. In addressing the meeting, Mr. Polwhele said that he was not offering himself as President and reminded the Members that he had accepted the office last year with great reluctance. He was glad that Lt.-Col. Ryves was now willing to continue his duties as Secretary in partnership with Miss D. Valentine. Miss Valentine had kindly agreed to take the place of Mr. Harvey who was compelled to resign owing to the pressure of other affairs. He said that Mr. Nicholson was relinquishing the Treasurership and that Mr. J. M. Macmillan had kindly consented to take on that office. As regards the Presidentship, Mr. Polwhele would leave the matter in the hands of the Members, 2 The President then moved that Lt.-Col. Ryves and Miss Valentine be appointed Joint Honorary Secretaries and Mr. Macmillan Honorary Treasurer. The resolution was carried. Mr. Chilcott proposed that the Society's grateful thanks be accorded to Mr. Harvey and Mr. Nicholson for the valuable services they had rendered. The motion was unanimously carried. Mr. Chilcott, seconded by Mr. Macmillan, moved that Mr. Polwhele be re-elected President. This was carried with acclamation. Pursuant to Rule 6, Lady Vivian, Miss Walton Evans and Mr. Macmillan retired from the Committee (Miss Moor had already resigned owing to absence from Cornwall). Messrs. Harvey and Nicholson, Miss Quick and Dr. Walmsley were elected to the Committee. The Annual Report and Treasurer's Accounts for 1936 were formally adopted. Mr. Polwhele was thanked for having so very kindly acted again as Honorary Auditor of the Accounts. Swaling Posters received from the Misses Benson were distributed to a number of Members who were reminded that they must not be affixed without the authority of the owner or tenant of the land. Mr. Macmillan suggested that the local Post Office or Village Shop were very good places in which to display the Posters. It was decided that the Society affiliate with the South­ western Naturalists Union. The President stated that the Committee was of the opinion that the donation of one guinea to the University of London Animal Welfare Society (for the Anti-Steel Trap Fund) should be an annual one. The Meeting agreed. A resolution was carried that any Member who secures the services of any person in order to destroy badly Oiled Sea-Birds1 be entitled, on application to the Treasurer, to receive a refund of any gratuity given for the purpose. Pursuant to Rule 8, notice of motion was given that the third paragraph of Rule 6 be amended to read as follows:— " There shall be an Executive Committee consisting of the Officers and not less than six Ordinary Members. This Com­ mittee shall be elected annually at the Annual Meeting and shall deal with all routine business. No Ordinary Member shall serve on this Committee for more than three consecutive years. The Executive Committee shall have power to add to this number, subject to confirmation at the next Annual Meeting." The Meeting was closed by a very interesting Cinemato­ graph Display of bird pictures taken by Dr. R. H. Blair, who was accorded a hearty vote of thanks. ***** The Second General Meeting was held at Truro on November 27, the President taking the chair. Arising out of the Minutes of the Annual Meeting, Mr. Harvey reported that the arrangement with the local Farmer for safeguarding the Kittiwake Colony had been very satis­ factory. There had been no shooting this year. The amendment of the third paragraph of Rule 6, of which notice had been given at the previous meeting, was approved. Copies of the current Cornwall County Bird Order, 1935, were distributed to the Members. In their general report, the Secretaries alluded to the successful prosecutions during the year for robbing Ravens' Nests and for shooting Brent Geese (accounts of these prose­ cutions are given elsewhere). In regard to the Wild Fowl Enquiry instituted by the International Committee for Bird Preservation (British Section), questionnaires had been sent to several influential persons and their replies forwarded to the Secretary of the British Section. The Secretaries reported that 21 new Members had joined the Society this year up to date and six had dropped out. The membership now stood at 185 Members, one Honorary Member and five Associates. Date and Agenda for the Annual Meeting of 1938 were discussed. 4 The Secretaries read certain " literature " in connection with the Association of Bird Watchers and Wardens. The work being carried out under its energetic and tireless Secretary, Mr. N. Tracy, in the difficult campaign against the devastating activities of egg-collectors, is deserving of the highest praise. Lists of dangerous egg-collectors and their car numbers have been compiled by Mr. Tracy and are available to Members on application to Miss Valentine. A General Talk on Birds concluded the meeting. ***** The Executive Committee held two meetings during the year, namely on February 27 and November 27. THE COMMITTEE'S REPORT FOR 1937. Membership this year has increased very substantially and now stands at the figure of 194 (as against 170 last year), exclusive of five Associates and one Honorary Member. A larger proportion than ever of " foreigners " have joined our ranks, indicating a steady growth, beyond our County, of appreciation of the Society's work in Cornwall. In this connection, it is noteworthy that a County Bird Protection organisation is being formed in Pembrokeshire in order to deal with the serious menace of egg-collectors and that the promoter has applied to our Society for advice. Once again we have to record our gratitude to the Royal Institution of Cornwall and to Mr. G. Penrose for their kind­ ness in placing a room in the County Museum at our disposal for all our meetings throughout the year. The fact that the Western Morning News, with Mr. J. L. Palmer as its Editor-in-Chief, continues to champion Bird-life in the West Country is much appreciated by, and very helpful to, this Society. For the benefit of new Members we should mention that past Annual Reports are still available (on application to the Secretaries) at the cost price of 2/- per copy. 5 We make no apology for again reminding Members that, under the current County Bird Order (1935), ' close time ' in Cornwall begins on February 1, and ends on August 31 (except for certain specified birds). Largely due to the untiring efforts of Mr. Tracy, the founder of the Association of Bird Watchers and Wardens, there appear at last to be grounds for hope that new Bird Protection legislation (so many years overdue) is not very far distant. In regard to the " black-listing" of the Little Owl in Cornwall, the findings of the scientific inquiry, conducted by the British Trust for Ornithology, into the diet of this Owl, must be of special significance. Briefly, the findings are that there is only negligible destruction of game, poultry or wild birds and that, except in abnormal circumstances, Little Owls feed almost wholly upon such insects, other invertebrates, and small mammals as can be readily picked up on the ground. The inquiry further explodes the far-fetched story of the Little Owl killing birds and mammals in order later to enjoy a feast of carrion beetles at the corpses. Insects eaten in enormous numbers are the daddy-longlegs, the earwig, the cockchafer, a carabid beetle and a dung-beetle; four of these are listed as pests by the Ministry of Agriculture. Fifty rats and 220 mice were among the rodents traced as eaten by birds studied during the inquiry. It can now authoritatively be stated that there is no justification for a general campaign against the Little Owl. The " black-listing " of this Owl by the County Councils of Somerset, Devon and Cornwall (for a period of five years by the latter), on entirely unscientific evidence, seems to call for criticism. The only charge against the bird can be that it has been introduced. As for Cornwall, the Little Owl has become a rare bird, and the reports of Members received this year in response to the Committee's request (see Sixth Report, p. 6) confirm its rarity. The Society's Ten Pounds Reward Notices (against egg- collectors) were again advertised in the Cornish Press. There are grounds for the belief that these notices are not popular with the law-breakers. 6 In view, once again, of an orgy of slaughter of Gulls on the Camborne North Cliffs this spring, the Committee has decided to advertise a Reward of £5 with regard to illicit shooting or taking of birds during the ' close season ' of 1938. In view also of continual reports of the shooting of birds protected all the year, a further Reward of £5 will be adver­ tised, in August, 1938, with regard to the illegal destruction of birds during the ' open season ' of 1938—39.