202 Campbell, Domestic Wild-Cats v. Native Birds. I 2„J^"rii 



if so he hoped they would ahnost rid the district of rabbits in those 

 localities. — Arf^us. 



Substitute birds for rabbits, and you will agree with me that this 

 is very serious news for bird-lovers. 



The cat pest, taken in conjunction with the proper protection of 

 native birds — one of our chief planks — is a question that will sooner 

 or later have to be seriously faced. 



What with the recommendations and consideration of " Bird " or 

 " Game Laws," the compilation of an official " Check-List " of Aus- 

 tralian birds, &c., our hands are fairly full just now. Nevertheless, 

 some preliminary notice may be taken of the wild-cat pest — i.e., the 

 domestic cat gone wild. 



These injurious animals are now practically all over Australia. 

 You find them on the shores prowling about sea-bird rookeries, and in 

 the far interior thriving in rabbit-burrows. They are even to be 

 found numerous upon the islands off the coast. After several 

 generations in the bush- wilds these animals attain an immense size, 

 and become so fierce that they have been known to attack human 

 beings. Now, such great beasts need a quantit}' of food, and of what 

 does that food chiefly consist ? Why, of course, native birds and 

 animals. 



How are we to combat this evil ? ••' It is a fine day ; let us go out 

 and kill something." That is a Frenchman's view of the chief charac- 

 teristic of a Britisher. Well, if we must kill something, let us go out 

 and kill cats. I do not mean our hearth-rug pets, but wild domestic 

 cats in the bush. It would be keen sport hunting cats with rifle and 

 dogs — if not too rough on dogs, judging by the size and spitefulness 

 of some of the " Toms " I have encountered. As is done in the case 

 of foxes and wild dogs, let rewards be paid for cat-scalps. 



This suggests the ways and means — the only reasonable course 

 being that of a cat-tax. A collection of, say, one shilling per annum 

 from owners of tame domestic cats would yield a sufficient fund to 

 combat and keep in check the wild-cat nuisance in the country, and 

 thus give our beloved birds a chance for existence. 



These few hasty thoughts are offered in order to create discussion 

 on a subject which has been uppermost in my mine] for some years 

 regarding bird protection. Lhidoubtedly, if many of our highly 

 interesting and beautiful birds, especially ground-loving species, are 

 to be preserved from total extinction, we must, as a bird-lovers' 

 union, at no distant date face squarely a wild-cat destruction scheme. 



[Since the above was read. I find that, according to The Auk 

 (January, 1906), an annual meeting of the National Association of 

 Audubon Societies was held at the American Museum of Natural 

 History, in New York City, on the 31st October, 1905. At the 

 afternoon session the principal topic of discussion was cats in relation 

 to bird-])rotection. At the close of the discussion the following 

 resolution was adopted : — " That, in the interests of humanity and 

 bird-protection, the National Association of Audubon Societies 

 endorses the movement to make the owners of cats responsible for 

 their acts and welfare." — A. J. C] 



