CKKEOPSIS. (il 



with the sportsmen. To shoot them, however, their habits iiad to he thoroughly understood ; 

 in the hrst place, in their native state, they are one of tlie wildest of Australian birds; secondly 

 they are very seldom seen anywhere near cover from which they could be shot. When they 

 fly it is usually in the same direction each time, and at no great height, so it is only those who 

 know where to find them and where they are most likely to fly who can shoot them." 



Dr. W. Macgilhvray sent me the following note while resident at Hamilton, in the Western 

 District of \'ictoria: — " A few Cape Barren Geese (Cevcopsii nova-hollandiii) are observed almost 

 every year in different parts of the district, and occasionally small flocks. They were, I learn, 

 fairly common several years ago." 



From Melbourne, X'ictoria, Mr. G. .\. Keartland wrote me: — "Although several islands in 

 Bass Strait are generally regarded as the home of the Cape Barren Goose, these birds occasion- 

 ally visit some of the swamps of the Western District of X'ictoria, where they are soon killed 

 by some of the duck shooters. Around the coast of Western .Australia they are often seen flying 

 from adjacent islands to the mainland. At Green Island they breed freely, laying from three 

 to five eggs, and rearing two broods in a season. They thrive and breed in domestication, but 

 are quarrelsome with other poultry." 



From Dr. Lonsdale Holden's notes I have extracted the following undei date 8th September, 

 1899 : — " Dr. If. H. Montgomery, .Vnglican Bishop of Tasmania, has just returned from a visit 

 of several days to the Flinders Group of islands in Bass Strait. He devoted an afternoon to the 

 investigation of Cape Barren Geese (Cti-copsis noViC-holhvuUit), and was shown birds, nests, eggs 

 and young. Descriptive of his visit Dr. Montgomery wrote as follows in the ' Church News of 

 Tasmania,' October, 1899: — ' JMy readers are aware, doubtless, that the Cape Barren Goose is 

 one of the rare birds of the world. It is one of the three Tasmanian Geese, I believe, and its 

 range is confined to the southern and western half of the Furneaux Islands. I doubt whether 

 there are more than one hundred and twenty nests in the year. I mention these facts in order 

 that we may enlist the sympathies of sportsmen in preserving this bird. What is rare and 

 harmless ought surely to be fostered. We do not possess much in Tasmania which is of unique 

 interest, and we owe it to the world to conserve the rare creatures. Here is a bird known to all 

 naturalists everywhere as one of the most interesting in the world. It is incredible that men of 

 sense can shoot it down as if these geese were so many quail or rabbits. Such action implies a 

 course of selfishness not pleasant to contemplate. Indeed, I believe that a party of Tasmanian 

 sportsmen who lately shot forty of these birds on a certain island, and did not even trouble to 

 pick them all up, had no idea how rare these birds were. Had they known it their conduct 

 would have deserved general reprobation. If these lines meet the eyes of any who hereafter 

 cruise for sport in the Bass Straits, we respectfully urge upon them to remember that it is our 

 duty to preserve, not to destioy, perhaps the rarest goose in the world. No one can object to 

 the killing of a specimen at the right season, but to shoot down these geese for the pot is like 

 shooting rare Birds of Paradise in New Guinea for the same purpose. It is also worth making 

 public the fact that those who find the eggs of this bird must not touch them unless they take 

 them away for their museum. The birds upon their return will break all their eggs if any have 

 been handled in the nest, and their sense of smell is very acute. It is also certain that the close 

 season for these birds must be extended. Their young have been tak'en on the 20th June, so 

 that the eggs must have been laid in May, and fresh eggs have also been found up to the middle 

 of September. My readers will excuse me if I do not record the islands where these birds 

 breed; it would be no kindness to the birds. Suffice it to say that on a Tuesday in August I 

 went with the Maclaines to a certain island where the birds were breeding. Landing quickly 

 we found a pair on their nest ; of course the old birds fled, and we had leisure to look at the 

 two eggs, in a nest thickly lined with down. Like the Ducks they cover up the eggs when they 

 Iea\e them, and we had to lift up some of this stuft' before the eggs were visible ; but we took 



16 



