NATIVE RESERVES AND BIRD PROTECTION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22717, 1 November 1935, Page 4

NATIVE RESERVES AND BIRD PROTECTION

TO THE EDITOR. g IB A local in your issue of Thursday last in regard to the protection of birds made interesting reading, especially as it concerns a question which is exercising the minds of many Dunedin citizens at the present time. One-can only hope that our City Council has received, and will give serious consideration to, the circular Tetter which your local states has been sent to all county councils by the Forest and Bird Protection Society of ISiew Zealand. If, as this circular letter states, scientists, after many years of study _ot bird habits, say that man could not exist on the earth for a longer period than nine years without bird life, the importance of protecting our birds cannot.be over-emphasised. On several occasions latelv I have walked through the Woodhaug'h reserve where men have been busy clearing away the undergrowth and the creepers from the trees and in their wake I have seen hundreds of deserted birds' nests hanging from the dead vines and scattered on the ground. I also read a statement that only hawthorn trees had been cut out of the Woodhaugh reserve. One only needs to see the many stumps of native trees to know that this statement is incorrect, but, even if hawthorns had been the only sufferers, all bush and bird lovers know what valuable winter food this tree provides for the birds. A scientist of some note in our own city has told us what would happen to the birds if the bush is disturbed in the way it has been lately, but unfortunately his words have fallen on deaf ears. Perhaps now that we have such important statements from prophets not of our own country; the City Council will awaken to the necessity of stopping the work of destruction which is going on. — I am, etc., Bird Lover. Dunedin, October 30.