Td^ From Magazines, &c. [ 



Emu 

 St Jan. 



Bird Sanctuary. — In regard to the Sounds National Park, 

 New Zealand, Mr. Donne, Superintendent of the Tourist 

 Department, in his annual report to Parliament, states that 

 owing to the invasion of stoats and weasels from the Eastern 

 district, the native bird life is diminishing, more especially the 

 Kiwi and Kakapo. Good work for the preservation of these 

 birds is being done on Resolution Island, but the question of 

 obtaining a small island of the Steward group for this purpose 

 might be considered. 



Mr, Richard Henry, the caretaker on Resolution Island, 

 reports that fishermen and others visiting the Sounds have given 

 him a good deal of trouble by destroying the Ducks and other 

 birds, When visiting neighbouring localities, such as Chalky 

 and Preservation Inlets, he saj's he " did not see a Duck of any 

 kind, but dogs and guns at every camp, and a litter of Kaka and 

 Pigeon feathers." He was told that this was the result of havoc 

 caused by ferrets and weasels, but he could not believe that 

 these animals were to blame for all he saw. It was very 

 desirable that stringent regulations should be made, providing 

 heavy penalties for persons landing in the Fiordland district 

 with dog and gun. Until this is done the native birds will 

 inevitably be decimated. Mr. Henry now has a motor boat, in 

 which he patrols the shores of Resolution Island whenever the 

 weather permits, and visits the neighbouring mainland in search 

 of wingless species of birds- — Kiwi, Roa, and Kakapo — many 

 hundreds of which he has during his residence in the Sounds 

 transferred to Resolution Island. In the latter part of last 

 year he liberated seven more Kakapo or Ground-Parrot on the 

 island. Kaka and Pigeon, according to Mr. Henry, are still 

 numerous, and he found native Robins (which he had thought 

 were all gone) on one of the small islands. The beautiful 

 Paradise Duck breeds close to Mr. Henry's place at Pigeon 

 Island, and in his report he places on record some interesting 

 observations with regard to their habits. — The Press, Canter- 

 bury, N.Z. 



The Quail Sp:ason. — In the Age of 29th October we are 

 informed that the Stawell Game Protection Society is agitating 

 to get the opening of the Quail-shooting season altered from ist 

 March, as at present, to ist February. On 31st October Mr. G. A, 

 Keartland writes to the Age: — "In February the Quail are breed- 

 ing all over the State, and in the very earliest districts eggs and 

 young broods may be seen as late as the end of March. If the 

 alteration is made as desired the birds will soon be as scarce as 

 they were ten years ago, and the sportsman will have to content 

 himself with the little Hemipodes which breed in the spinifex 

 in the far north, and some of which occasionally visit the 



