Bathgate. — The Sparroiv Plague and its Remedy. 77 



and it only captures birds when its ordinary food is scarce. It 

 is also migratory, and does not, on the whole, seem very suit- 

 able. I merely mention it as it could be procured from Cape 

 Colony. The range of climate in New Zealand would pro- 

 bably be sufficient for both these two last-named birds, but 

 the grey shrike seems to have the advantage of being the 

 least migratory. The easiest to introduce into this colony 

 would be the red-backed shrike, as, being obtainable from Cape 

 Colony, only a short voyage would be required, and the 

 tropics would not have to be crossed. It makes an interesting 

 cage bird, as it has wonderful powers of imitation. 



To sum up, I may say that, while I do not advocate the 

 stoppage of poisoning operations, I think that the money 

 spent in paying for heads and eggs could be laid out to much 

 greater advantage, and I recommend the introduction of the 

 magpie and the long-eared and tawny owls and red-backed 

 shrike, or some of them, but especially the magpie. I may 

 add that I think the long-tailed native cuckoo {Eudynamis 

 taitensin) should be protected by law, as it destroys the eggs 

 and young of other birds, and, as it is a conspicuous object 

 when it visits any populous neighbourhood, it usually falls a 

 victim to some random gunner. 



Just a word regarding the existing law, and I have done. 

 " The Birds Nuisance Act, 1902," imposes on the local autho- 

 rities in the Middle Island the duty of destroying injurious 

 birds from a day to be fixed by the Governor in Council. The 

 birds to be deemed injurious are to be determined by the same 

 authority. Districts may be proclaimed embracing within 

 their borders the areas managed by several local authorities, 

 and in such case the Act provides for a conference of dele- 

 gates from each local authority being held for the purpose of 

 recommending to the Governor a suitable day on which the 

 work of destroying injurious birds should commence, and the 

 methods that should be employed by each local body. To my 

 mind there is too much " machinery " about the Act for it to 

 be easily set in motion ; and, as the Act provides for the 

 appointment of the inevitable Inspectors and the making of 

 regulations, I fear the amount of red tape about it would clog 

 its action. The suggestion I have already made — that each 

 county should be bound to employ a bird-catcher — would be a 

 very much simpler and less costly method. No Inspectors 

 would be required, as every farmer who suffered from the 

 depredations of birds would complain to the County Council, 

 and take care that the bird-catcher was zealous in the per- 

 formance of his duties. 



The idea in the statute that declaration of war should be 

 proclaimed on a certain day — I assume, in each year — seems 

 to me a very mistaken one. That we shall ever get rid of the 



