320 Economic Section. [i.f'A'iii 



" In the (riilf, at times, countless swarms of grasshoppers pass 

 over the country. They generally hatch out when the first rain 

 comes, and nearly every bird has a go at them. Ibis, Hawks, 

 Crows, Plain Turkeys (Bustards), Native Companions, Cranes, 

 Plovers, Magpies, and Peewits all hasten to the feast and live on 

 the insects. Even Ducks and Watcr-Hens change their menu and 

 have a gorge of grasshoppers. Plain Turkeys and Ibis are specially 

 keen after them, and I have often thought it a shame to shoot 

 the former when they have been so busy after the pests. When 

 anyone comes on a swarm of grasshoppers on the plains of the 

 Gulf- country, it is always a good indication of Plain Turkeys — 

 the birds are never far away. I have often seen 30 or 40 Turkeys 

 so busy after the grasshoppers that they hardly took notice until 

 three or four shots rang out, and a couple of their number fell. 

 The Turkeys fatten very quickly on grasshoppers." — (From the 

 Nature Notes column of the Brisbane Daily yiail.) 



Birds-of-Paradise and their Plumage. — By proclamation, Sir 

 Ronald Crawford Munro Terguson, the (iovcrnor-Gcneral, acting 

 with the advice of the Federal Executive Council, has prohibited 

 the exportation of Birds-of-Paradise and their plumage, unless 

 the consent in writing of the Minister of State for Trade and 

 Customs has first been obtained. 



State Secretaries' Reports. 



Western Australia. 

 I IJVTELY visited the country near the Margaret River, south of 

 Perth, and obtained a Wedge-tailed Eagle. It was the most 

 beautiful specimen I have ever seen. The ruffle and all the 

 lighter parts were bright gold colour, and in the centre of each 

 wing, about the median wing coverts, it had a bright blue 

 feather. I also got a White-tailed Black Cockatoo [C. haiidini) 

 given to me, which was taken from the nest. Two flew away 

 when the man climbed up, and he got the third one. Two of 

 my friends came to a patch of granite in the clearing in the 

 forest. Their dog barked at something in the granite. On in- 

 vestigating, they found a large Brown Snake coiled up in a 

 cleft in the granite, .and by her sixteen fresh eggs. They killed 

 the Snake, and one of the boys thoughtlessly broke the eggs 

 and fed them to the dogs, as they were quite fresh, and I tlius 

 missed a very interesting exhibit. 



Bird life is not much in evidence, as they keep to the lower 

 damp guUies. The Emus seem to have deserted the place for 

 a time. They evidently migrate, and at present are away. I 

 expect they will come back when the Zamia Palm {Cycad) seeds 

 are ripe, the " Twenty-eight Parrots " are very destructive to 

 the almonds and apples. When I was near Mingencw, nortli (jf 



