Lord Redesdale moved the second reading of his Bill to
pre- vent the cruelties which go on in pigeon-shooting matches, on 'Tuesday, and the second reading was passed ; but Lord Aberdare showed how extremely ineffective for its purpose the Bill in its present form is, and how difficult,—if not impossible,—it will be to make it effective for its purpose. The only real remedy was to do what Lord Redesdale and his colleagues had refused to do,—to put down this spurious sport altogether. The Bill is referred to a Select Committee, where perhaps it may be discovered that, in their keen desire to save pigeon-shooting matches, their Lordships have embarked on an enterprise almost as hopeless as any attempt to keep the House of Lords humble, or willing to wait for dinner beyond the usual hour, would cer- tainly prove.
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