HEREFORDSHIRE ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB No. 3. OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE, 1953. President: Captain H. A. GILBERT, M.B.O.D. Chairman: Dr. C. W. WALKER, M.C. Hon. Secretary and Hon. Treasurer: C. J. BRECKNELL. Editor: R. H. BAILLIE, M.RO.D. Committee: F. S. BROMLEY, P. W. HINDE (County Representative of the British Trust for Ornithology), Lt.-Col. E. H. P. JACKSON, Dr. H. G. LANGDALE-SMITII and L. SMITH. HEREFORDSHIRE ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB RULES. I.-NAME. The Club shall be called the Herefordshire Ornitho­ logical Club. 2.-0BJECTS. The objects of the Club shaH be (a) to further the study of birds in the field, and (b) to assist in their preservation. 3.--MEMBERSHIP. The Club shall consist of a President, a Chairman, a Secretary, a Treasurer, an Editor, five Committee Members and Ordinary Members. The Officers shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting and shall be eligible for re-election. Members may be elected at any meeting. 50 HEREFORDSHIRE ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB REPORT, 1953. 4.--eONDITIONS OF MEMBERSHIP. Members shall be required to support and keep the laws concerning Bird Pro­ tection, as laid down in the Hereford County Council Order or Orders for the time being in force, and any members failing to support and keep such laws shall be required to resign. Members shall not divulge to unauthorised persons (e.g., known collectors of skins and/ or eggs) information in a manner likely to be detrimental to the objects of the Club. 5.-SUBSCRIPTION. (a) Ordinary Members :-18 years of age or over, 10s., payable on January 1st, or on election to mem­ bership. Any additional members of a family after the first, 7s. 6d.; such members receiving all the privileges of full membership. Junior Members (under 18 years of age), Ss. per annum, payable as above. Corporate Members: -Kindred bodies, Schools, etc.; Sub­ scription one guinea per annum. Honorary Members :-As approved by the majority present at the Annual General Meeting. (b) All subscriptions, subsequent to those paid on admission, shall be due on January 1st each year. Where a Member has been elected on or after 1st September in any year, there will be no further liability to subscribe in the year immediately following that of his or her election. Any member whose subscription is twelve months in arrears shall cease to receive the Club's publications and, should the subscription not be paid during the ensuing twelve months, his or her name shall be deleted from the List of Members. 6. MANAGEMENT. The Secretary shall keep Minutes of the meetings and prepare such literature as shall keep members informed of the Club's activities. 7. MEETINGS. Meetings shall be held as often a_s deemed desirable at the discretion of the Officers. 8. REPORT. There shall be an Editorial Committee of at least three members, including the Secretary, appointed at an ordinary Committee MeetTn:::. These shall prepare and present an -Annual Report and such special reports as may be decided upon. 9. ALTERATiON OF RULES. An alteration of the Rules may be made only if proposed at one meeting, printed on the agenda for the following meeting, and passed by a two-thirds majority of those present. HEREFORDSHIRE ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB REPORT, 1953. 51 1953 REPORT The Club, having been founded in April, 1950, is now complet­ ing the fourth year of its existence with 121 members as at December 31st, 1953, compared with 88 at the end of last year. This is an encouraging increase. The Annual Report for 1951 was reviewed at some length ill British Birds Magazine last June, where it was given a good welcome. The main criticism made was that no survey of the birds occurring in the county of Herefordshire was given. We do not think that this is the purpose of an Annual Report, even though it was our first, which is devoted mainly to notes on birds which have been observed during the year under its review. An excel­ lent bibliography will be found in this Report in Captain Gilbert's article on p. 53 which covers all the county records. During the year Field Meetings, which were quite well attended, were held at the Severn Wildfowl Trust Grounds, Rhos-goch Common, Staunton-on­ Arrow, Titley area to see Pied Flycatchers in nesting-boxes (by kind per­ mission of Mr. Howard Bulmer), Eastnor Park (by kind permission of Lady Somers), together with Malvern Wells, and, finally Llyn Hilyn. Indoor meetings included talks by Admiral Sir William Tennant on "Birds at Sea"; S. M. O. Alexander on his visit to the Blasket Islands backed by excellent colour films and slides taken by him and his party. Film shows included "Bird life in Colour" by A. F. Park presented by the Herefordshire Photographic Society to which they kindly invited our members. Two R.S.P. films entitled "Avocet Island" and "Birds of the Orkney Islands" were also shown and we were Dart sponsors at the Hereford Town Hall for the showing of Miss K. Tousey's splendid film "Audubon's America." The financial position of the Club improves slowly, but we are not yet in a position to afford to exoend much on lectures and films and our thanks are due to those who have kindly given their services and provided cine­ matograph material at various meetings. We are particularly indebted to Mr. Basil Butcher and Mr. Godfrey Oavies for their help with this latter item. The weathcr in 1953 was kind as a whole and though the spring was rather a cold one the autumn was exceptionally mild and frec from frost and snow. The two most inte;'csting bird features to affect the country were the \nvasion of Crossbills and a big influx of Quail, both of which events reached into Herefordshire. From a more local asoect the re-appearance of French Partridges in N.W. Herefordshire and East Radnorshire, after many vears absence, was of i'lterest. In order to save snac~ and costs the Classi­ fied notes have now been combined for the two cou-nties and the records have been kept clearly in separate paragraphs prefixed bv the letters Hand R to denote Herefordshire and Radnorshire resoectively. It is much regretted that the records for the latter county arc stili vcry meagre, but this state of affairs is likelY to remain until wc can E,a'n the interest and SUODort of more cbscrvers resident in Radncli"shire. ' The !':dl\c,,"s sincere thanks go to observers who suhmitted their notes with model nromntness. the energv of the Editorial Sub-Committee (Dr. C. W. Waike:- and \1essr,. C. J. flrrc';nel!. P. W. Hi01de 0nd G. C. S. lngram). and ab, rc' \1r. and Mrs, Hinde far tvning thc Mss. R. H. BAILl_IE, Hon. Editor. HEREFORDSHIRE ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB. HON. TREASURER'S ACCOUNT-YEAR TO 31ST DECHMBER, 1953. RIiCEIPTS. 1'.\Yl\1EN'IS. £., s. d. I~ s. d. £., s. d. £ s. d. To Balauce·-lst January, ISJ53 lej 17 51 By Duplicating Notices C) 8 3 PrcH:eeds of Sale of " Stationery 1 IC) 9 ;\nnual Reports, 1951 17 8 " Postages 959 23 16 1952 7 11 2 " Printing Annual Report 4 ---- 8 8 IQ " Subscriptions to Affiliates: Donations Woolhope Club 1 0 0 I'.1 0 British Trust for Subscriptions in Advance 3 15 0 Ornithology 100 " Subscriptions for 1953 43 5 0 Birmingham & West 47 0 0 Midland Bird Club 10 0 British Empire Naturalists' Association IQ 6 3 0 6 " Booksellers' Commission on Report Sales 5 10 Gratuities ... 9 0 " Hiring Films 1 10 0 " Telephone Calls 2 4 Club Room Charges 4 0 Loss on Slimbridge Outing, Jan., 1953 10 0 " Hon. Editor's Imprest Account, Balance of Cash in Hand 51 Balance-Cash in Hand ... 20 7 1- £70 19 3~ £70 19 31 I ha,'c auditcd thc abol'c Accol/tlts and tal/lid thcm cOl'rect. C. J. BRECKNELL, G. S. ORMISTON Hon. Treasurer. (Holl. ,luditor). HEREFORDSHIRE ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB REPORT, 1953. 53 HEREFORDSHIRE ORNITHOLOGISTS OF THE PAST By CAPTAIN H. A. GILBERT. Previous to the foundation in 1851 of the Woolhope Naturalists' Club, to which we are affiliated, there were very few references to ornithology in Herefordshire. The earliest reference is contained in an eighteenth century number of the Gentleman's Magazine and records the breeding of the Woodcock in Queen's Wood, near Much Marcle. The first list of Herefordshire birds was published in 1840 by R. M. Lingwood, who afterwards became the first president of the Woolhope Naturalists' Club. This list is to be found in Annal's Natural History (vol. v., pp. 184). In 1845 the Rev. W. E. Evans, who was a prebendary of the Cathedral and lived at Burton Court, published a volume of poems entitled "The Songs of the Birds." After 1840, except for the publications mentioned above, nearly all Herefordshire records are contained in the Transactions of the Woolhope Club, although a few others are recorded in "British Birds." For more than fifty years after the Woolhope Club's foundation the transactions are a record of ruthless butchery of rare birds. In every county town there was a well established <bird-stuffer' or taxidermist, a trade which has now ceased to exist. Anybody who saw a rare or beautiful bird instantly shot it, merely to have it stuffed and displayed in his house with pride. Such people seem to have been absolutely merciless; for instance, Lingwood's list contains mention of a pair of Pied Flycatchers shot in June, 1839. In addition there were numerous collectors who were prepared to pay very high prices for any rarities.