, XIX 



lyiy 



j Coi'fcspoiK/i'inr. ^47 



during the last tweh-c montlis to tind many articles dealing with 

 this subject, all ol which are complaints about the Cormorants 

 having devoured all or nearly all the fish in our rivers — not only 

 in one State, but many — probably all. North, in " Nests and 

 Eggs of Birds l-'ound Breeding in Australia and Tasmania," gives 

 some wonderfully interesting evidence from the official rt-ports 

 of the Fisheries Boards, showing tin- enormous destruction of 

 edible fish by these birds, and the rewards offered for their heads 

 by most of the States. But Captain White only deals with the 

 Coorong, and at the end of his article, under " Result," which, 

 I presume, is his " proof beyond doubt," he wTites : — " Fish of all 

 kinds have been very scarce for years past in the Coorong, and 

 not only that, but the fishermen arc suffering the loss of hundreds 

 of pounds sterling each year by the ravages of the crabs, for these 

 crustaceans not only attack and destroy all fish caught in the 

 set nets, but entangle themselves in the nets by the hundreds, 

 rendering the nets useless. Man is paying dearly for his folly, 

 yet he learns little or nothing by it." Well, I cannot see anything 

 to support his argument in that : in fact, I consider, if it is gone 

 into thoroughly, it is more likely to prove (piite the contrary, as 

 follows : the large numbers of Cormorants which usi'd to be there 

 have eaten all the hsh, consequently there was no further food 

 supply for tlicin there, so with accelerated speed the birds dis- 

 appeared, luMice the increase of the crabs, which are the natural 

 food of the fish. Yes, man is often paying dearly for his folly 

 in not locking his stable door soon enough. The Cormorants 

 should have been exterminated before they destroyed the fish. 

 My own local experiences are, that up till about eighteen months 

 ago I could always get fair fishing here amongst the native species 

 in suitable weather ; and in drought times, when the shallow- 

 holes in the river were drj/ing up, I could always get sufficient 

 small fish, from 3 to 5 inches long, to stock the larger dams and 

 lagoons. But during the last tw'o years the Cormorants have 

 appeared in greater numbers than I have hitherto know^n — in 

 fact, I have seen more of these destructive birds here during th(> 

 last two years tlian all the previous sixteen put together, the 

 result being that during the late 1918-19 protracted drought 1 

 could not find one single fish of any species, and the river was 

 lower during the last summer than I have ever seen it before. 

 Holes in it were quite dry, of which I have not seen within 3 or 4 

 feet of the bottom of before : and I have always found that vvheri- 

 the Cormorants can get fish they do not trouble themselves about 

 amphibians. Personally, I have been unable to find any sound 

 basis against this argument. I have letters from friends in other 

 districts stating ver\' similar experiences to m\' own, and during 

 the last two \-ears tlie Cornioranls a])pear to l)e iibitiuitous. 

 Pi-rhaps Captain White, in a later issue of 77/c /•.;;///. will itubli>h 

 another articl(\ stating some of his proof in support ol tluse liiicU. 

 I will admit that there are vt'ry few birds that ha\-e no j^ood 

 points ; even the nnuh-liati'd Raven has many, but so far 1 have 



