STUDY OF BIRDS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27384, 9 May 1950, Page 6

STUDY OF BIRDS

Value Of Mr L. E. Richdale’s u Work Recognised SERIES OF MONOGRAPHS 1 With the correspondence which he is required to carry on, it is some what surprising that Mr L. E. R«h_ dale manages to find time for the ex ■ haustive study which . precedes tne • writing of his extensive series of ornithological papers and monographs; The publications prompt the corre "spondence,- and Mr Richdale must occasionally feel that he has been caught up on a treadmill. That he does find . ..time for his study and .been shown, however, by the :PU^ ca tion of the third in a series of biologi -..cal monographs this one entitled “-The Pre-egg Stage in the Albatross rf. Family.” , £*; 'ln the preface to. the monograph, Mr Richdale pays a tribute to the late Mr J. McGregor engineer on the Harbour Board, for tne great assistance he gave in Unusual albatross colony at the Otago ■’Heads. Mr Richdale also makes an appeal to people to co-operate in the ’ building un of the colony by staying well away from it. r A depressing series of instances of vandalism finally led to s Pccml le g - Ration being passed to protect tne ■hrppding grounds t but Mr Kicnaaie states that the build-up of the colony will be slow and may take up to 15 years. lo “Most people will agree that any action taken to ensure the Perpetuation of the colony for all tune is worth any sacrifice on the part of in dividuals now” he writes. Jf any one thinks he has a right to enter the breeding area, would he be gooa -enough to ask himself. if his visit is really necessary in the interests of the albatrosses? If it. is not, would he refrain from bringing pressure to bear in order to gam entrance? Requests for admission to the area are most ■ embarrassing to those concerned. Th fight to save these birds for all time •is on, and has been going on for ■ nearly 14 years. Please help us to win that fight.” , , . ■"• Mr Richdale’s work is regarded internationally as being outstanding, in - this part of th? world, and there is a constant demand-from fellow ornithologists overseas for copies of his publications. Copies have been sent to scientists in some 20 countries, including the Antarctic expedition at Grahamsland. Strangely enough according to Mr Richdale, many of the leading ornithologists are “amateurs who have presumably taken up the study as a pleasant excuse for excursions ■'outdoors and have, in due course, become intensely interested in their subiect. Geographical boundaries mean nothing to birds and, in consequence, ■ornithology is a truly international science, as Mr Richdale’s thick files ■ of correspondence suggest.