owner, to whom the man in charge referred me, with the intention of rescuing the animal from further suffering. The excuse made was the necessity of the muzzle or alternative chaining up. After some argument I succeeded in purchasing "Monarch," who looked all over a canine king. Needless to say I at once removed his cage, and took him to Hastings-the town of canine freedom-where for years he was the general playmate of children on the beach, a rescuer of life, and known all over the district. But, he never forgot the punishment of the muzzle, neither could he be induced to make friends with his former owner when he paid a visit to Hastings later on-notwithstanding he brought him up from a puppy and every kindness had been bestowed, excepting, as he said, the unavoidable punishment of the muzzle. The illustration on the previous page is from a photograph of "Monarch," taken with my youngest son, whose constant companion he was. This is one of many illustrations I could give of a dog's gratitude for relief from torture.

One regrets that civilized and educated human beings should be persuaded that muzzling is a prevention of a rare disease like rabies, but unfortunately "the gullibility of the British public" is proverbial, and in the muzzle muddle this proverb is glaringly, and to the amusement of our Continental friends, confirmed.

tied up, and get diseased and savage, as all dogs without exercise must. When the order is over, these will be loosed in a condition to spread any disease.

Until people in general treat dogs better, rabies will never be stamped out. How common is the expression "Treated like a dog! This needs no explanation ; everybody knows it means ill-treated.

Go where you will in England, you can rarely escape the sound of dogs barking and crying in the night. If you trace this to the cause, in ninety cases out of a hundred it is want of bed, water, or food. Would it not be well to double the tax on all lady dogs, and so limit the innumerable puppies which, when old enough to be taxed, are turned loose, or lost in the most heartless way? These wander about the country carrying diseases bred of misery and starvation, and they are the dogs chiefly affected with rabies. The taxing of sheepdogs, also, would be an inestimable blessing! As it stands now, any man who has a sheep considers he has a right to an exemption, whether the dog is used for work or not. In this parish there are comparatively few cottages where there is not a dog, and I feel certain that not more than about one-third have licences, and it is the same in many places.

All dogs should be obliged to wear a collar, with the owner's name and address. Then the homeless ones could be destroyed. -Yours truly,

Castlemorton, Malvern.

torturer.

The Animals' Home of Rest, St. Leonards-on-Sea.

To the Editor of the ANIMALS' FRIEND. SIR,-As all humane people must be feeling for dogs, during the prevalence of the muzzling order, it is to be hoped they will try and do something to better their condition.

This order means, to a large number of dogs, imprisonment for the whole time the order is in force, as many owners are too poor or negligent to get muzzles, and the dogs will be

JESSIE CAZALet.

A Cure for Hydrophobia.

ISS WENTWORTH writes from Hampstead recommending the following treatment as a cure for hydrophobia :-"Take three ounces of the root of elecampane, stew it in a pint of new milk and give it, milk and all, to the patient in the mornings while the stomach is quite empty. Let the patient fast six hours after taking it. Repeat the dose three times on three successive mornings and the cure is complete. Several persons have written to say that it has been tried on my recommendation with success. One man who had two children, two cows, and several pigs bitten by a dog furiously rabid, administered it to all, and six months after wrote to say that none of them had had any symptoms of hydrophobia. Elecampane is generally known as a powerful medicinal plant, and as it has been successful, and doctors are powerless before this disease, I hope it will be promptly tried. Pasteurs remedy is worse than hydrophobia, for if you do not succumb to hydrophobia itself, you certainly die sooner or later from the effects of the poison of the Pasteur remedy."

THERE is an organization in Boston (U.S.A.) of an "Audubon Society," whose members pledge themselves "never to wear any part of a bird or any feathers, except those of ostriches or of some of the domestic fowls which are killed for the table."

TH

HE twenty-second annual meeting of the Victoria Street and International Society (of 20, Victoria Street, Westminster) held on the afternoon of Friday, May 21st, at the Queen's Hall, Langham Place, London, W., was highly successful. The room was the largest yet retained for this annual gathering, and was nearly full. The Right Hon. Lord Coleridge, Q.C., who presided, was supported on the platform by :-The Right Rev. Bishop Barry, Sir Barrington Simeon, Bart., M.P., Mrs. Wynford Philipps, Rev. Canon Percy Smith, Surgeon-General Watson, and the Rev. John Baird (deputation from the Scottish Society), Mr. Ernest Bell, M.A. (chairman of committee), the Hon. Stephen Coleridge (hon. secretary and treasurer), Dr. Berdoe, Mr. F. E. Pirkis, R.N., and the Rev. Ernest Fischer, M.A.; while in the body of the hall were:Sir Arthur Arnold, D.L., and Lady Arnold, the Countess of Camperdown, Surgeon-General Thornton, C.B., Mrs. Barry, the Hon. Mrs. Stephen Coleridge, Mrs. (now Lady) Pender, Col. and Mrs. Benson, Dr. T. R. Allinson, Mr. Ernest Duffield, M.R.C.S., Dr. Richard Paramore, Capt. and Mrs. Quintanilha (Newton Abbot S.P.C.A.), and many other workers and sympathizers. Eloquent and interesting speeches were delivered by Lord Coleridge, Bishop Barry, Sir Barrington Simeon, Mrs. Wynford Philipps, SurgeonGeneral Watson, Canon Percy Smith, Rev. Ernest Fischer, M.A., Dr. Berdoe, and the Rev. John Baird. The following very interesting letters were read by the Hon. Stephen Coleridge (Hon. Secretary):

Although you have not as yet succeeded to that extent, I am satisfied from all I hear that you have done a great deal of good in awakening the conscience of a multitude of those who were ignorant of the torture to poor helpless creatures, occasioned under the spurious pretext of scientific research-to the abominable cruelty of allowing it to exist.

"I cannot write one half what I feel. I am sorry the rule I have laid down for myself not to attend or take part in public meetings must prevent me from accepting your invitation, and indeed I have not under any circumstances the time at my command to do so. My absence therefore must not be ascribed to indifference, for, from my heart, I wish you

every success in the cause of humanity,

towards the innocent and unfortunate of God's
creatures, in which your Society has courage-
ously and zealously embarked.
"Believe me, dear Mr. Coleridge,

"Very truly yours,
"(Signed) J. HAWKINS."

(From Sir Henry Irving.)

"Lyceum Theatre,
"5th May, 1897.

"MY DEAR STEPHEN COLERIDGE,-Unfortunately I shall not be able to attend the meeting on the 21st, but I am fully in sympathy with its object, and heartily agree with every word of your letter.

"There are some lines of Shakespeare which put the protest of humanity with irresistible eloquence. When the Queen in Cymbeline animals, her physician 'Cornelius' answers: proposes to try the effect of poisons on dumb 'Your Highness

Shall from this practice but make hard your heart,

Besides the seeing these effects will be
Both noisome and infectious.'
"Ever sincerely yours,

"With affectionate greeting,
"(Signed) HENRY IRVING."

(From Father Ignatius.)

"I am not able from a scientific point of view, to give any opinion on the subject of vivisection, but from a Christian and Humane standpoint I should shudder to be in the same company with a vivisector. A man who is able to cut up alive a fellow creature, and feels no pang at its pains, must be worse than a murderer at heart, and no one could be safe if in such a creature's power. The only explanation of such a psychical phenomenon as 'a vivisector,' to my mind, is, that such an one is possessed with a devil, and can have no part or lot in Jesus Christ the Lord and God of Pity and Love.

"IGNATIUS O.S.B. (Monk). "Llanthony Abbey, May 18th, 1887." The reading of these letters was received with much applause.

A Bold Blackbird.

A blackbird lately built her nest on the ironwork of a garden seat in an arched passageway connecting the upper and lower "Arboreta" at Ipswich. The nest was quite exposed, about 3ft. from the ground, and on Sunday and Monday, April 11 and 12, the bird was sitting quietly upon it, allowing any one to pass or stand, as many did, within a yard of her without showing any symptoms of fear. Five eggs were laid, and then, unfortunately, something caused the bird to flee. The nest and eggs have been preserved.

SIR

IR,-In your current number of the Animals' Friend (for June, 1897), I regret to see on p. 176, under the heading of "Yorkshire Farmers and Sparrows," such an unfortunately incorrect representation of my views as to the utility of birds, in destroying insects, that I trust you will kindly allow me space to show, that, so far from ignoring the utility of birds in preservation of crops and fruit from insect pests, I have brought the subject forcibly forward in my series of reports from the year 1878.

The remarks in your paper to which I more especially refer are as follows-page 176,

column 2 :

"Miss Eleanor Ormerod in her semi-official reports on insect plagues, steadily ignores or condemns the widespread and important ministry of birds." Again your correspondent says, "Miss Ormerod ignores the birds of the air as completely as if they had never been created to do these things" (she is speaking of destruction of injurious insects, etc.)," and save us trouble."

Destroyers.

"Animals' Friend."

In correction of this I trust you will allow me to give the following references:

"In my report for the year 1878, I draw attention to the utility of swallows, martins, and swifts; cuckoos, as feeding on lepidopterous larvæ, and especially the hairy kinds; all the warblers, and the titmice; also woodpeckers, of which the green woodpecker is the special enemy of some large moths named; and I also name flycatchers, tree-creepers, wrens, starlings, and partridges." And to this I add: "In fact all birds that mainly, or even in part, feed on insects deserve encouragement, so long as the other part of their diet does not trench too much on the crops."

In my third annual report, that for the year 1879, I give a long list of birds (including some of those above-mentioned) classed as serviceable on various kinds of trees and bushes, as apple, gooseberry, and currant bushes, cabbage and turnip crops, osier beds, pine and spruce, and other coniferæ.

In 1880, with regard to birds doing good

in clearing special crop pests, I mention the rooks clearing daddy longlegs grubs; likewise the desirableness of lapwings being protected on account of the benefit we have from these birds also clearing off the daddy longlegs larvæ. 1881. I give a detailed observation of the benefit of rooks in checking a daddy longlegs attack, and also of the great service done by these birds, and also by the "blackheaded gulls, in destroying the oak-leaf roller caterpillars, and two observations of rooks destroying surface caterpillars.

1882. I give one of the columns on pages 57 to 63, with the views of about thirty observers as to utility or otherwise of rooks in destroying wireworm.

1883. I mention again rooks and plover and pheasants, as foes to wireworm, and titmice as useful in clearing gall-fly grubs out of galls.

1884. I note starlings and plovers as attracted by daddy longlegs-and I note "With regard to most of our birds they fill their place servicably, and unless from some cause there is an overwhelming increase in one locality, their presence is desirable."

1885. Again I note rooks as clearing surface caterpillar.

In 1886, in my official circular requesting information as to measures of prevention of "mustard beetle " attack, I especially name any that may be known to be serviceable by turning up ground containing chrysalis of the beetles, to bird attack, and I also mention starlings as fond of "surface caterpillars"; and partridges as said to be useful in destruction of turnip gall weevils.

1887. I note cocoons of pine sawfly having been emptied of their contents, by what (from the nature of the injury) appeared to me to be attack of insectivorous birds, and again I allude to crows, rooks, and plovers as destructive to "turnip caterpillars."

1888. I mention stirring soil containing chrysalids of "looper caterpillars" (one of the kinds which is enormously destructive to foliage) as useful by throwing them open to bird action, and also that " I fully believe that some of the mainly insectivorous kinds will give help by clearing out eggs and small grubs from nooks which can be got at no other way." Likewise I draw attention very strongly to the enormous assistance we derive in injurious insect destruction from swallows and martins.

It is unnecessary I think to go into reference to each one of my Annual Reports, but in the following notes given in my observations for 1891, 1893, and 1894, are some of my records as to good done by birds, in lessening amount of three seriously destructive and widespread infestations which occurred respectively in those years.

In 1891, I find on turning to my official report on diamond-back moth infestation, that in answer to my enquiries sent out on my circulars as to "what kind of birds are especially useful in clearing the caterpillars that I mention, amongst the birds observed on the infested crops, rooks, and plovers, starlings, crows, linnets, sea gulls, and grey

plovers, green and golden plovers, chaffinches, and greenfinches," but in all the many returns sent me of that memorable attack of diamondback moth, which extended from Dover to Aberdeen, I only find, in reply to the enquiry in the circular as to benefit received from birds, two replies favourable to sparrow-help, and one of these couched in doubtful language.

In 1893 I record and strongly draw attention to the good service done by starlings, missel thrushes, and rooks, and other birds in destroying the chafer grubs, which in that year were so injurious in grass land.

In 1894 in the remarkably bad attack of the antler moth caterpillars in the South of Scotland, I give a note of rooks being an important help against this devastating attack, that curlews and plovers take a few; cuckoos feed on them, and also the stomachs of snow buntings are found full of them in winter.

In my 20th, that is the current number of my Annual Report, I also draw attention to benefit from bird presence, as well as (in the case of herons) to an instance in which over presence of them did so much harm by killing small fish and thus destroying the natural enemies of water grubs that feed on water creepers, that I am sure I am not open to the charge of ignoring "the birds of the air as if they had never been created."

If your readers will have the patience to run down the list of birds given as helpful they will find I name swallows, martins, and swifts, all the warblers, all the titmice, also fly-catchers, tree-creepers, and wrens. I mention the cuckoos as freeing us from hairy larvæ, and amongst birds of some considerable size, and in some cases often to be met with, I mention rooks, and starlings, the blackheaded gulls, and plovers, pheasants and partridges.

As enemies to diamond-back infestation I enumerate rooks, crows, sea-gulls and grey plovers, green and golden plovers, starlings, linnets, chaffinches, greenfinches, curlews, and snow buntings are especially mentioned as useful against the caterpillars of the antler moth.

I am not entering here on any point at all in your correspondent's paper excepting her statement that in my reports on insect plagues I steadily ignore or condemn the widespread and important ministry of birds, "and also that Miss Ormerod ignores the birds of the air as completely as if they had never been created." And as all who will be at the trouble of referring to my published views may see that bird assistance is one of the means that I regularly advise as an adjunct to other measures in lessening amount of insect presence, I trust that you will in your courtesy allow me the opportunity of correcting the erroneous view to which I refer.—I am, sir, yours, etc.,

ELEANOR A. ORMEROD, F.E.S. Torrington House, St. Albans,

June 19th, 1897.

[A reply to Miss Ormerod by Miss Edith Carrington is crowded out, but will appear next month. Meanwhile, we are glad to note that Miss Ormerod recognizes the value to agriculture of certain birds, but there is, we note, only one reference to sparrows, the homely little friend, on whose behalf especially Miss Carrington made her appeal.-ED. A.F.