Vol. V. 

 1906 



J From Magazines, &c. 21 J 



National Bird Protfxtion. — In a note to The Auk 

 (January, 1906), Mr. Otto Widmann urges the taking over by 

 the central government from the States of bird protection. His 

 reasons are that State legislatures make grave mistakes in 

 framing their bird laws, owing to lack of ornithological 

 knowledge, that State Game Wardens and police cannot always 

 be relied on to carry out the laws, and that migratory birds 

 travel through various States, and so belong to no one State in 

 particular. Probably the obstacle in the way is the limits of the 

 Constitution, and the same would be likely to be met with in 

 Australia. 



Bird Protection in America. — The November-December 

 number of Bird-Lore gives evidence of the increasing amount of 

 protection that is being afforded in America to native birds, 

 especially to such as breed in colonies. There is plenty of 

 opposition from insatiable " sportsmen " and those interested in 

 the marketing of game birds and the plume trade to the work 

 the Audubon Societies are doing, but it goes on just the same. 

 Intelligent organization is the key-note. Here in Australia we 

 have not half the number of difficulties to contend against that 

 the Americans have ; there are few vested interests here to be 

 fought, and the general public is in favour of saving the birds. 

 Could not the various ornithological societies and clubs in the 

 Australian States make it their business to see that the colonies 

 of breeding birds in their respective localities receive full 

 protection, either by being set apart as reserves under the State 

 game laws or the strict enforcement of the existing law where 

 that would be sufficient ? 



* * * 



Yellow Robins as Snake Finders. — Where the bush is 

 located near to a residence, the domestic cat, a monitor, blue- 

 tongue, or Jew lizards will cause the birds to give forth their 

 alarm notes, but if persons frequenting the bush lands, near to 

 Sydney especially — in fact, all over the county of Cumberland 

 — would make acquaintance of the native bird known as the 

 Yellow Robin {Eopsaltria anstralis), then, when these snake 

 finders (the Yellow Robin) of Australia give forth their incessant 

 notes of warning, a snake or snakes arc somewhere under 

 wherever these birds may be in the tree or scrub. Snake- 

 catchers owe more to this particular bird than any other in 

 securing snakes for trade purposes. Up country, where the 

 Yellow Robin does not exist, the Soldier (Miner), Magpie, 

 Bower-, Butcher-, and other native birds perform exactly the 

 same office for man, if he will take it as a warning, as the 

 Yellow Robin does for the men or women of the city or suburbs. 

 — J. S. Bray {Daily Telegraph, Sydney, 26/1/06). 



