124 Stray Feathers. L^ 



Emu 

 Oct. 



In the country of open downs the Wedge-tailed Eagles are 

 forced at times to choose strange sites for their nests ; frequently 

 these are placed in such low bushes that I can ride up alongside 

 and see if the nest contains eggs or young, and I hear of one 

 containing young where the top of the nest was little higher than 

 a table. By-the-by, I am sceptical about the Eagle's building 

 " dining-tables " (vide "Nests and Eggs," p. 14). The "menu" 

 of U. audax is varied, and includes lambs (a standing dish), 

 iguanas, kangaroo-rat (an unfailing bait for poisoning purposes), 

 Bustards or Wild Turkeys, sucking pig (plenty of wild pigs on 

 the river), domestic fowls, and recently they took from quite close 

 to the homestead two goat kids that were a few days old. As 

 regards length of wing of these birds, I measured five last week — 

 two 6 feet, two 6 feet 6 inches, and one 7 feet from tip to tip. 

 The two smallest looked very small, and the seven-foot bird 

 looked nothing more than a fairly big one to me. A neighbour 

 of mine who takes a passing interest in ornithology tells me 

 that one he poisoned looked so unusually large that he measured 

 it and found the expanse of wings to be 9 feet. This, though 

 exceptionally large, is, I think, quite possible. It does seem a 

 pity to poison such noble birds, but I fear on this open country 

 you cannot rear lambs and Eagles together. — Fred. L. Berney. 



Richmond, N.Q. 



* * * 



Bird Protection in Other Lands. — The Government of India 

 has followed in the steps of United States and other authorities 

 in endeavouring to prevent wanton destruction of bird life for 

 millinery purposes. Lord Curzon issued on 20th Sept., 1902, an 

 Order in Council prohibiting " the taking by sea or by land out 

 of British India of skins and feathers of all birds other than 

 domestic birds, except (a) feathers of ostriches and (b) skins and 

 feathers exported bond fide as specimens illustrative of natural 

 history." In Great Britain and on the Continent much work 

 is being done, and in America the good work of the Audubon 

 Societies goes steadily on. Oklahoma and Nebraska are the 

 latest States to fall into line ; and how widespread the movement 

 is may be gathered from a glance at the Supplement to The Auk 

 (vol. xx., new series, No. 1, January, 1903), where maps, &c, 

 are given, showing — (1) the States where Audubon Societies 

 exist, and (2) those which have adopted the American O.U. 

 model law for the protection of birds. A full account of what 

 has been done by the various legislatures up to the beginning 

 of last year is also given in a handbook issued by the U.S. 

 Department of Agriculture, wherein, by means of letter-press, 

 engravings, and maps the amount of protection accorded in 

 the various States and in Canada is shown (" Legislation for 

 the Protection of Other than Game Birds," by T. S. Palmer, 

 Assistant Chief Biological Survey, Washington : Government 

 Printing Office. 1902). This small book should afford many 

 valuable hints to workers in the cause here, and might with 



