BLOW-FLY PEST

Greymouth Evening Star, 28 July 1932, Page 12

BLOW-FLY PEST

i AN ENGLISH EXPERIMENT. ~LONDON. July 9. Mr. W. P. Devereux, represenative of the Australian Woolgrowers’ Council says that recent action by the Zoological Society here may have an important bearing on fighting the blow fly, buffalo fly, and tick pests in Australia. The society imported from India about 50 “cattle egret” .nrds, and re leased hem at Whipsnade Zoo to alleviate the fly and tick pests.. The experiment is proving successful. The birds, which do not touch either fruit or grain, require no feeding. They live on flies, grasshoppers, and ticks, which they pick off nie cattle and deer. The matter appears to be worthy of tho closest investigation by the Australian auhorities. 1 Mr. D. Seth-Smith, Curator of Mammals and Bird of the Zoological Society in London, sees great possibilities in the 1 experiment; '<■ ' He cannot conceive that any possible harm would result from the introduction into Australia of these eminently useful birds. They are non-migratory and, being quito common in India, Ceylon, Burma, Malay. Siam, and the Philippines, are easily procurable.