^°S"'] ASHBY, R.A.O.U. Congress 213 



Nature is so prodigal in her provision for wastage, that with 

 a few exceptions of species pecuharly isolated, the mere killing 

 by man, except during the breeding season, which will be referred 

 to later, has not materially counted. 



We have often in Australia misled an ignorant public, who 

 are under the false impression that "protection," or the stopping 

 of shooting, protects. Lulled thus by a false issue, the real 

 factor that counts is largely ignored. 



The provision of suitable breeding places and the i)rotection 

 of breeding haunts is the only thing that really counts. If pro- 

 perly attended to from the point of view only of the survival of 

 bird life, all restriction rec|uiring the issue of permits might 

 be withdrawn; but on the other count, already spoken to, some 

 restriction is desirable. I have long urged that every new 

 township opened or surveyed by our respective governments, 

 should have a Fauna and Flora Reserve equal in area to some 

 of the smaller farms, set apart in perpetuity for the u.se and in- 

 structi(jn of future generations. 



THE EDUCATIVE VALUE OF COLLECTIONS. 



Most if not all of the real ornithologists of the present day, 

 whether in Australia or elsewhere, commenced in their boyhood. 

 This is true of most branches of Natural History. It is not 

 that only a few children are capable of taking a real and effec- 

 tive interest therein, but that unless these dormant gifts are 

 stimulated into work at a very early age, these latent possibilities 

 atroi)hy. »' 



I have been an ardent worker in one branch or another of 

 Natural History since the age of eight years, and speak from 

 exi)erience of the great blessing it has been to my life, widening 

 and broadening its outlook and thinking. 



I have the strongest conviction that nine out of every ten 

 children are up to an age varying with the individual, capable 

 of developing a scientific interest in some branch of N^atural 

 History. 



We call such studies hobbies, though we might use a bigger 

 w(Md. I also maintain that such interest, to be effective, .should 

 be C(jrrelated with work. The acquisitive quality of the mere 

 collector is but one, and a neces.sary one, of the stimuli needed 

 for the attainment of some measure of eft"ective result. 



To-day we are deploring tlie fact that such a large propor- 

 tion of our .Vustralian youth find their only relaxation in the 

 excitement of daily entertainments or in the watching of sports. 



I would that instead thereof they might become students and 

 collect(jrs in some branch of Natural History. As regards our 

 particular study, it is known to all real workers that the preserva- 

 tion of bird skins entails so much hard work that, leaving out 



