PROTECTING NATIVE BIRDS

Evening Star, Issue 18280, 21 May 1923, Page 5

PROTECTING NATIVE BIRDS

WHAT AMERICA IS DOING.

■ Speaking of the desirability for protecting Australian bird life, Colonel Casey Wood, the American ornithologist, who was recently in Melbourne, gave examples of what is being done in the United State® in this direction.

“Tho protection of birds in our country,” said Colonel Wood, “may.be classed under three headings. First, there is- a treaty between the United States and Canada which provides for the protection of those birds which migrate from one country to the other. Many of them go to the Arctic regions to nest, and on their wav, if there were no protection, they would be subject to much molestation.’ Do they make _ very tong flights on these nesting expeditions?” “ Some do, and some go in quite a leisurelv manner. The blue-winged teal will fly 4.000 miles at the rate of 1,000 miles a day; but there are- other'birds that might take weeks to accomplish such a journey. Second, wo come to tho protection of those birds which migrate between two or more States, but which do not go out of the United States, Where the migration is between two or more States this becomes a Federal matter, aiuS such birds arc, so to say, under Federal 1 control. The beneficial species- are protected. The English sparrow, I might remark, does not come within tho category of ‘beneficial-’ Your English sp-arrow, indeed, is an unmitigated nuisance to u#. He drives .away our songbirds, he increase® at an enormous rate, and) ho _ destroys a great quantity of fruit and grain.” It was suggested to Colonel Wood that in Australia the songbirds could hold their own verv well against tho imported sparrow; but Colonel Wood was not convinced. “Wait till you have had tha sparrow in Australia as long a® "wo have had him in America, and -then you will sec,” ho remarked pessimistically. “But as regards the protection of birds, said Colonel Wood, “ I think that what is being done in the States themselves is perhaps" the most important. Not that all tho States rank equally in .this -respect, for there are some good, some badl, som® indifferent. California is typical of tho ‘ good ’ States. Here there are thousand® of sanctuaries dotted about —special sanctuaries, and also such areas as farms, ranches, public paries, and privately owned properties. In regard to ranches, I may say that the ranchmen _ find that by prohibitinp' the shooting of birds-on their properties they benefit their cattle, which formerly were handed by shooting parties and sometimes wounded by stray shots. Birds instinctively recognise those sanctuaries and flock to them. Apart from tho setting aside of areas as sanctuaries, tho Audaubon leagues (analogous to your Gould leagues) have good work in protecting our bird life. The Audaubon leagues make it their principal object to givo information about beneficial birds and their value to the fanner and the orchardist. Then tho Federal Government, through the Biological _ Survey Bureau, issues bulletins about birds periodically, which may bo obtained by anyone who applies for them. In tho high schools, moreover, there are Nature classes {sß I understand you have in your own high schools), in which pupils learn te value birds for their own sake. This is very desirable, for the first instinct with the average boy—l suppose with the average Australian boy as with the average American boy—is lo shoot a 'bird when ho east it, apart from the merits of that particular? bird. Well, when he knows more about birds he becomes more discriminating. “Domestic oats that have become wild, wo find, do a great amount of slaughter among birds. These brutes, it, la estimated 0 , kill 500 to 500 birds a piece every year. They do not kill for food, but just for the love of hilling. I have shot hundreds of them, and hope to shoot hundreds more. And that reminds me of what I saw at Philip Island during two days I have just spent there. I saw great numbers of dead mutton birds and pen'gains that had been [killed by foxes.. These vermin have the blood lust in them, just as have) the cats I have, spoken oL Get rid of them!”

It was suggested to Colonel Wood! thait this was rather a “tall order.” “It is a ‘tall order,’” Colonel Wood admitted, “but if you do not get rid! of them it is only a matter of tune lor them to kill all the mutton birds and all the penguins. The penguins are beautiful! birds, and the mutton birds have, I understand, a considerable commercial value.” Referring to the evolution of birds, Colonel Wood' gave some very Interesting! information bearing on tills point. “Birds and lizards, millions of years ago," be said, “ had a common ancestor. To-day we have lizards and birds, but we also have a lizardy bird, or a birdy lizard, whichever definition bo preferred. Thera Js just .one. It is found in British Guiana, and I studied the habits there with the greatest interest. It is culled' the hooizian, or tho canje pheasant. The reptilian eHrairacterjsties are the most marked in tho case of tho young bird. In these there are claws or hooks on the wings, which are specially pronounced. Thw hooks are equivalent to some extent to a second pair of feet. Audi the young bird, in moving through tho branches of trees, creeps along them ,by the aid of these claws or hooks, much m a lizard might do. In the ndu.lt bird the chara.oterisf.ies of the lizard become less pronounced, but in its ways of diving and swimming these characteristics may still bo clearly recognised.”