^2H GAME AXI) lUKD rKOTECTK )N. 



National Bird Preservations. — These consist mainl' of 

 small rocky islands or tracts of marsh land of little a,u;"riculrural 

 value, with a few exce])tions, notahly the Niobrara J\e.-erve. 

 Nebraska, which includes an area of from 10,000 to 12.000 

 acres. The birds on these reservations are i)rotected bv a s]>ccial 

 Act of Congress and by the State (kuue Laws. 



^^'ardens are stationed on the more im])i)rtant rescrxarions 

 for the better i^rotection of the birds. Not content with such a 

 thorouoh Government or State su])ervision. the National \sso- 

 ciation of Audubon Societies, who are largel}' instrumental in 

 the existence of many of the reserves, renders the Dei)artment of 

 Agricttlttire much assistance and co-operation in protecting bird 

 Hfe. 



Egypt and the Sudan. 



In 1Q12 important steps were taken towards protectino- the 

 native fauna of Egypt by two laws, one of the 4th Alay, 1912, 

 regulating the hunting of game ; and law No. q of the 20th 

 May, 1912, protecting certain birds itsefttl to agricttlttire, a list 

 of which is given. A Department of Zoological Service. was 

 formed, whereof the Director of the Zoological Gardens of 

 Gizeh (Captain S. S. Flower) was pitt in charge, with Mr. M. J. 

 Nicoll as Assistant Director. I am indebted to Captain Flower's 

 annual reports on the Zoological Service for 1012 and 191.^ for 

 the information herein included. 



Gazelles were protected in the Alexandria District by a Pro- 

 clamation of 28th February, 1910, and ttnder the above-mentioned 

 law of 4th May. 1912. a ])roclamation was issued on 20th Jantt- 

 ary, 1913, prohibiting the shooting or hunting of gazelles near 

 Tel el Azouk without special jiermission from the (jovernment. 



Captain Flower gives us an account of the ]:)reservation and 

 furthering of the colonies of egrets. He savs that from 12 to 

 15 years ago no scene of Egyi)tian agricultural life v.-as com]>lete 

 without these beatitiful white birds in parties of 10, 20, or n.iore, 

 walking throught the fields searching for their insect food. For 

 the sake of the long gracefttl pltuues Avhich the egrets develop in 

 the nesting season, they were systematically shot off in colony 

 after colony by the plume-hunters. This was the case uf the 

 heron in Atistralia until the Government intervened at the insti- 

 gation of the Ornithologists' Union. Egvpt has now taken 

 strong measures to protect these beautiful birds, with exceed- 

 ingly satisfactory results. Captain Flower says that in 1912 

 only one breeding colony remained in Lower Egypt, which 

 would also have been extinguished but for the j^rotection of the 

 Government. 



( )ver 500 young birds were reared under natural conditions, 

 but under the care of a Avatchman of the Zoological Service. 



Artificial colonies were started in various places. 



Hungary. 



Li this country economic ornithologA^ plays an important 

 role, ro important that a special branch of the Agricitltural De- 



