72 State Secretaries' Reports. ["^isfS" 



(Hon. H. X. Barwell) is a great friend to our Fauna and Flora, 

 and, being a University man, can well understand the scientific 

 importance of our bird life. The Hon. the Minister for Industry 



(Mr. Hague) is ever sympathetic, and being a son of a pioneer 

 upon the land, can realize the alarming decrease in our Fauna 

 during late years, and, lastly, the officers of the department are 

 closely on the watch for law-breakers. Your representative had 

 the honour to introduce a deputation to the Minister, drawing 

 his attention to the violation of a sanctuary, namely, Pierson's 

 Island, where a number of seals were slaughtered. Seeing that 

 it was difficult to detect seal skins coming from protected or un- 

 protected areas, it was asked that all seals be protected in South 

 Australian waters. The Minister viewed, this suggestion with 

 favour. 



Several convictions have been obtained of late in reference 

 to shooting protected birds. Last season the greater part of the 

 Coorong Lake, near the mouth of the Murray, was closed to 

 shooting. This came about after a visit made by the Premier and 

 your representative. The past season, unfortunately, through a 

 misundetstanding, part of the closed area was opened up to the 

 shooter. .\ court case followed this, and three men were charged 

 with shooting ])rotected birds to the value of £60. Two local 

 J.P.'s tried the case at Meningie, and dismissed it. A fresh 

 charge was made out, and the magistrate was sent to try the case. 

 He immediately gave it against the shooters. In another case 

 a man I sent out to investigate was badly handled by a poacher. 

 The same J.P.'s that tried the former case sat upon this one, 

 and gave it against us ; but v.e are not finished here. The nest- 

 ing islands in the Coorong, to supervise which I have kept a 

 man, at my own ex])ense for some years past, has been taken in 

 hand by the I)ei)artment, insomuch that they have ai)pointed a 

 ranger, and will now relieve me of this expense. 



Your representative has made several trips along the East-west 

 Railway in an honorary ca])acity, to endeavour to keep sjjarrows 

 from reaching the Western State. 



Under the ausjjices of the Advisory IJoard of Agriculture (of 

 which your representative is a member), many lectures have 

 been given throughout the country upon the economic value of 

 bird life, and the necessity of ]»rotecting them. Your represen- 

 tative has repeated these lectures both in the city and suburbs to 

 large audiences. My services have been again recpiested outside 

 the State, and, complying with a recpiest from the Queensland 

 Government, a bird survey has been made in reference to Forests 

 and Agriculture. It is hoped the work will be beneficial to the 

 forests and a means of further protection to the native birds of 

 that State. A more complete report upon this very interesting 

 work will appear, it is ho|)ed, later on. l-'linders Chase, the 

 national sanctuarv on Kangaroo Island, has been a great source 



