PROTECTION OF BIRDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19298, 10 April 1926, Page 9

PROTECTION OF BIRDS.

Sir—The report respecting the Whitney Expedition from the Hon. R. F. Bollard ran by no means be considered convincing. Some'of the species quoted are certainty rare in that any bird peculiar to very small areas must, surely be considered rare. When a gentleman like Captain Ballons considers the sighting of a certain bird, to wit, Antipodes snipe, as worth recording, surely he, too, considers it rare. The facts "side-tracked in this Government report are that the expedition was not supervised and that permission was given to take birds extinct or almost extinct. If the weather interfered or the. birds were not to be found, and prevented the collectors obtaining the specimens, this is no excuse. While wishing to cast no aspersions on Mr. Beck (who has other interests than the preservation of our birds), at least, it might be pointed out. firstly, according to official corres pondence, he stated that although be had no objection to supervision, he might possibly have to leave such an officer at Hobart if the weather experienced prevented his return. Then when the expedition returned to New Zealand and ah * efficer was despatched to Stewart Island to join the expedition, the vessel did not (•fill there but went on its way collecting. There may have been good reasons for these actions unknown to the writer. Further, the report is certainly purely one-sided in that only those desirous of minimising the contentions set up were present at the inspection of the birds obtained. It is believed the Minister has the preservation of onr birds at heart, but -1 Minister of the Crown, with his nuUitudinous duties, can scarcely be expected to know all details about birds, and has to be guided by his subordinates, and the advice in this case was certainly right against the public desire, and to the detriment of our bird life. It- is, moreover, pleasing to have the Minister express sincere appreciation of our buds, and it is trusted this may be the turning point in the operations of a department whose past operations have befen a great assistance in depleting oar bird o y wholesale undesirahlo introductions u»mi« to our bird* md „3 of these introductions have . u, u. , land. , . .