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information required. Membership is open to
any person interested in any branch o-f natural
history or archaeology and desirous to extend
his or her acquaintance with the subject; no
other qualification than a love of nature is
required."
GLIMPSES OF THE PAST (2)
Mr. J. A. Caldwell wrote to me to draw my
attention to a letter from Henry Doubleday
dated October 1st, 1873 published in the Essex
Naturalist Vol. XXVII Part VIII Oct. 1943 -
March 1944. Below follows an extract which
illustrates the change in attitude to birds in
this county over the last hundred years. It
is a pity that the change does not seem to have
occurred on continental Europe where so many
wild birds are shot at the present time.
"Two or three years ago you asked me to get you
a pair of Missel Thrushes, which I did - there
is a service tree in the field between forty
and fifty yards from the garden and for the
last week dozens of these thrushes have come
after the berries - an invalid friend of mine
is fond of these small birds when nicely cooked
as she cannot take much food and yesterday I
shot ten Missel thrushes, nine of which I sent
to her. The other is such a very beautiful
bird that I will send it to you in the morning
-it is one of the finest specimens I ever saw
- neither of the others was at all like it."
TONY BONIFACE