°gQ7 ■ j From MagazineSj &c. 20^ 



"6. The length of the bill (B.) is the measurement taken in a 

 straight h'ne from the point of the root of the upper ridge of the 

 bill, where the forehead feathers begin, to the tip of the upper 

 mandible. One point of the compass is placed where the horny 

 substance of the bill and the forehead feathers meet, and it is 

 sometimes necessary to move the feathers to one side. In 

 birds which have a cere (bare membrane) at the root of the bill, 

 the measurement is a straight line taken from the upper anterior 

 part of the cere to the tip of the upper mandible." 

 * * * 



Wild Bird Sanctuaries — A new country is usually in such 

 a hurry to make money that arts and study are neglected, but 

 the fauna of a land like ours is really a substantial asset, and 

 should be regarded from a utilitarian as well as a sentimental 

 point of view. Other countries have found this fact out, and 

 they have, in a great multitude of instances, instituted a strict 

 watch upon their birds and beasts. The north-western States of 

 America, for example, which, so far as settlement is concerned, 

 much resemble our own States, have a highly effective and 

 well-paid system of supervision. We have no large game, except 

 a few kangaroos in the extreme north-east and north-west of the 

 State, but we have still many birds and a few animals that are 

 well worth preserving. We are fortunate in possessing a splendid 

 collection of water-fowl, many of which are interesting and 

 showy to a degree. Owing to the fact that anyone with a little 

 loose silver may possess a gun and cartridges, and that game 

 preservation is practically unknown here, our wild-fowl has, of 

 late years, been having a most unpleasant time. Both in and 

 out of season the pot-hunter haunts the lakes and dams, and 

 prowls along the creeks on the look-out for Ducks, and he 

 spreads havoc wherever Jie goes. So serious is the position 

 becoming in the southern portion of the States that a movement 

 has been initiated in Mortlake which has for its object the 

 setting apart of some of the most suitable lakes in the Western 

 District as permanent game reserves. With, say, eight or ten 

 suitable lakes set apart for breeding purposes, there would 

 always be a supply of birds to stock up the neighbouring lakes, 

 dams, and creeks. For, as is well known, practically the whole 

 of the wild-fowl on the lakes are almost continually moving 

 from one sheet of water to the other. The only time when they 

 remain at one place for any length of time is when they are 

 nesting, and it is then., of course, that they need the most 

 protection. As might be expected, the wild-fowl have their 

 favourite lakes for breeding purposes. If, then, the land is cut 

 up and parcelled out into farms, and no steps are taken to 

 preserve the lakes, the result can very easily be predicted. The 

 Ducks will go first, and very quickly. Then the Swans will 



