SHOOTING OF PUKEKO.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19783, 7 May 1926, Page 10

SHOOTING OF PUKEKO.

A TEST CASE PROBABLE. (Fbom Our Own Correspondent.) AUCKLAND, May 6. A * peculiar position exists regarding the shooting of pukeko in the Auckland Acclimatisation Society s district this season, and an interesting legal point seems to be involved, writes the Mercer correspondent of the New Zealand Herald. The Minister of Internal Affairs (the Hon. R. F. Bollard) is reported to have declared that it is illegal to shoot pukekaa in this district, a shooting license issued by the Acclimatisation Sociqty gives no authority for their destruction. Nevertheless, the birds are being shot in fairly large numbers, and sportsmen are convinced that they are within their legal r >gh ts - . , . .... Sportsmen claim as their authority an extract from the New Zealand Gazette (No. 14), dated March 12, 1926. In a statement showing the kinds of imported and native game which may be killed in each locality the following list of birds ■ appears for the Auckland district: — Cock pheasants, Californian and Austrian quail, black swan, pukeko, and grey duck. Whether this clause is sufficient authority, or otherwise, for the shooting of Pukeko is not known, but a well-known lawyer in Mercer is reported to have stated that had he seen the Gazette notice earlier he would have shot pukekos, and so the shooting goes on. The chief ranger for the Auckland district yesterday took the names and addresses of two young men for having pukekos in their possession. Questioned later, he said it was illegal to shoot these birds. It appears that a test case will be required to settle the matter.