324 Correspondence. [,.i''''\piii 



Correspondence. 



To the Editors of " The Emu." 



Sirs, — I wish not to enter into controversy with Capt. White, 

 whose earnestness I appreciate, but let me say that here, at my 

 home, during 1919 (a very dry year). Cormorants came some- 

 times in numbers and at other times singly or in pairs. Though 

 we did our best to drive them away, they eventually took every 

 fish we had both in our reservoir (70 x 30 yds) and galvanized iron 

 walled 10,000-gallon tanks. I would not believe they could climb 

 out of the tanks if the water was a few inches from the rim ; but 

 they did, and cleared out the fish to the number of hundreds. I 

 may add that we have fed the fish for years, and had them for 

 our table as we wished. — Yours, &c. 



J. R. CHISHOLM. 

 " The Plains," Prairie, North Queensland. 



To the Editors of " The Emu." 



Sirs, — At the recent Brisbane meetings of tlie R.A.O.U., it was 

 suggested that more consideration should be given to the economic 

 side of ornithology. 



With the notable exception of Capt. S. A. White and Dr. 

 Burton Cleland, this branch of ornithology has received scant 

 attention, and the writer feels that some specialized effort should 

 be made by members to add to knowledge of these matters. 



There are, no doubt, many notes of economic interest hidden 

 away in the pages of past Emus and other scientific journals, 

 and, as a start, these should be collected and made the corner- 

 stone upon which to build future work. Members noting matters 

 of economic interest, however insignificant, should make it their 

 lousiness to notify headquarters, and, wherever possilile, stomachs 

 and crops of birds should be saved. 



Most important of all, however, is that a collection of well- 

 preserved stomach contents should, if possible, be established in 

 each State, so that, when occasion arises to enter the lists in 

 the interests of the protection of some bird, definite evidence 

 may be placed before the authorities. No argument could pos- 

 sibly be so telhng as a well-preserved exhibit of this kind. 



Of course, I am well aware that, unless some driving force is 

 behind this, it will probably die a natural death, and, to com- 

 bat this, I would suggest that, at the next annual conference, 

 someone be definitely appointed in charge of an economic section, 

 with assistants in each State. 



In this State we have recently had the spectacle of the autliori- 

 ties distributing free ammunition for tlie destruction of Cormo- 

 rants. Now, I hold no brief for these birds, but I certainly think 

 that they have been condemned without the justice of a fair 

 trial. Some of our members hold very strong views both for and 



