12G Occasional Notes. 



can only be shot between the 14th April and 31st August. 

 Tt is popularly considered that those species o£ Geese and 

 Duck which are usually found in this Colony do not breed 

 in the close season but nest in the shooting-time, and it is 

 thought that if this is so the close season for these fowl 

 should be altered. A good many people seem to advocate 

 the total removal of waterfowl from the protected list. 

 The Transvaal Game Protection Association has the matter 

 in hand, and is anxious to receive any data of the nesting of 

 Geese or Duck in the Colony, in order to be able to form a 

 proper opinion on the matter and to advise the Government 

 accordingly. A considerable number of letters have been 

 received and have appeared in the public Press, from which 

 the most important are here reproduced : — 



*' Duck Shooting. 



" To the Editor of the Leader. 



" Sir, — Now that the above season has closed until next 

 year, I should like to say a few words re Duck shooting 

 in the Transvaal. The present season lies between April and 

 September — practically the dry season, and when most of 

 the birds are away. All the small pans and swamps in the 

 district during this time of the year are dried up, and the 

 few Ducks that do remain here are only to be found on the 

 large mining dams. These birds are carefully protected and 

 guarded by the mining officials, and the dams are posted 

 with notices — as ' Shooting strictly prohibited,' and such 

 like. Consequently there is little or no chance of an outside 

 sportsman having a day's sport. Whilst out walking on 

 Sunday morning I passed several small pans and swamps, 

 and was surprised to see the number of Ducks about. I 

 counted fully forty of the birds flying around the pan ; and 

 no matter where a person goes here in the rainy season, he 

 will find birds on every available sheet of water. Might 

 1 suggest that a more suitable season be arranged for Duck 

 shooting — say, the wet months of the year ? If such was 

 the case, all classes of men wdio are fond of sport would be 

 able to spend many pleasant hours shooting. I was surprised 



