Shooting Of Shags

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 65, 9 December 1938, Page 13

Shooting Of Shags

Sir. —We hear rente people talking about their love of native birds, but when it comes to the much debated subject of game and fish conservation, we find that a proportion, the writer thinks a minority, of those interested in shooting ami fishing, are not prepared to give even any small part of Ute spoil which they themselves wish to kill, for the preservation of such native birds as shags, hawks, etc. They evidently like native birds, so long as they do not interfere with their pleasure and sport in the smallest degree, but let anyone assert that some native bird is harmful to their sport, and without any proper research, they promptly declare war on it. Evidently the regard by these people for our native birds is very superficial. further, shags, etc., have a premier right to the fishing in the streams, which lias been theirs for ages, and was much more abundant: before man interfered. Yet, a correspondent advocates the destruction of a native bird, the pied shag, because he asserts it eats native fish—kokopu. inanga, koura—and also states that _this fact, has given tlie department grave concern. Evidently Mr. Loughlin has not much of an opinion of the department.—l am, etc..

HARRY HAWK Wellington, December 7.