SOME USEFUL AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. 11 



Nature Reserves. Its aims as stated in its prospectus are t — "In view of the 

 dangers which at present seriously threaten our indigenous fauna and flora 

 with extinction, to obtain land reserves by gift or purchase." One of the first 

 nature reserves which was acquired was Wicken Fen, near Cambridge. In 

 Hungary a large number of the forest areas in the north were treated as 

 game reserves, and in Germany there was, together with many smaller 

 reserves, a sanctuary of 16,000 aci-es in the Bavarian Alps, and another of 

 5,000 acres in East Prussia. 



Everybody has heard of the great sanctuary at Yellowstone Park in the 

 United States, where a small herd of bison, the last of the great mobs of 

 American buffaloes have been placed in safety. In Uganda, East Africa, 

 where the great lakes and forests are the last stronghold of the big game 

 that once spread right down to Capetown, the British authorities have 

 formulated well thought-out game laws, and ci"eated several huge sanctuaries 

 into which hunters are not allowed to penetrate. 



Holland has purchased Naader Mere as a sanctuary for the nesting water- 

 fowl, and in Denmark a large tract of heath land has been dedicated as a 

 nature reserve for the fauna and flora of Jutland. In Switzerland a national 

 park of 50,000 acres has been made in the Southern Engadine. 



In Australia, as will be seen by the following notes, most of the States have" 

 made large reservations of waste lands as national parks, nature reserves, or 

 sanctuaries, but no provision has been made to ensure that the regulations are 

 respected. In Tasmania a number of the smaller islands have been given over 

 to the sea birds, and the curious neck of land, Freycinet Peninsula, was 

 dedicated as an area for the preservation of animals in 1906. In Victoria one 

 of the best known sanctuaries is the National Park at Wilson's Promontory, 

 which contains 101,730 acres. With the adjoining islands it is controlled by 

 aboard of management, which has an annual grant of £500; with this they 

 pay two rangers, and the trustees are re-stocking the place with native 

 birds and animals. Three other reservations on the coast total about 25,000 

 acres. Inland they have Buffalo Park of 25,980 acres, Lake Wongon of 

 9,600 acres, and a smaller one at Tower Hill, in the Grampians, of 1,360 acres ; 

 and besides these there are many local areas carefull}^ prote(;ted. 



In Queensland there are seven sanctuaries which have been proclaimed 

 Wild Life Protection Reserves, where wild animals and birds are supposed 

 to be safe ; but little or no supervision is carried out. In addition, there are 

 several large forest reserves that should be proclaimed sanctuaries, such as 

 that at the Bunya Mountains, which comprises 22,500 acres. Under the 

 Wild Animals Protection Act, a number of landowners have had their places 

 gazetted as sanctuaries, and act as honorary rangers. In South Australia, 

 Kangaroo Island Reserve comprises 93,440 acres, and is a sanc±uary where 

 fauna and flora are absolutely protected. The National Park, Belair, of 

 2,000 acres, is only a nature reserve. In New South Wales two great 



