1 From Ma^aziitcs, &c. 9n 



1904 J s ) zy 



Wales Island. On both of these 12 well-known Australian 

 species were secured, including the Dusky Honey-eater {Myzo- 

 rncla obsciira), a nest of which, containing one &gg, was found 

 suspended in the leaves of a " willow " tree on the latter island, 

 and on a coral reef off Thursday Island a Curlew-Sandpiper 

 {Tringa subarquata) was shot on the i8th May in full winter 

 plumage, the only specimen seen. Two hundred and twenty- 

 five specimens of birds were collected during the voyage. These 



have been presented by Earl Crawford to the British Museum. 



* * * 



Audubon Societies in Relation to the Farmer. — Under this 



title is reprinted from the U.S.A. Y car-Book of the Dcpartmoit 



of Agriculture for 1902, a pamphlet (just to hand) which records 



the immense work done by these societies in the field of bird 



protection, and some able arguments in the good cause. Mr. 



Henry Oldys, the author, points out that " with proper restraint 



and the adoption of systematic measures to maintain the supply, 



such as are in vogue in some sections of the country, the United 



States might easily have a stock of game birds so abundant as 



to furnish a cheap and readily attainable food supply worth 



many million dollars annually." He also directs attention to 



a fact which every ornithologist — everywhere — knows, " that 



various investigations .... show the importance of the 



service rendered by birds in keeping down the floods of insects 



and weeds that assail crops." Fashion decrees re aigrettes, 



&c., came in for some severe handling in the commients, in which 



it is mentioned that a single shipment from Archangel (Russia) 



consists of 10 tons of Ptarmigan wings, and that a Government 



record shows a slaughter of nearly 2,000,000 Grouse in four years 



in that province. Egg-collecting is rather hardly handled, 



apparently with good cause. The pamphlet contains a " Bird 



Chart issued by the Massachusetts Society " figuring 26 useful 



birds, and a coloured plate of the Wood-Thrush, as a specimen 



page of that society's illustrations adapted for " school work." 



There is a great deal in the pamphlet (space precludes quotation) 



which would furnish valuable reading to residents in Australasia, 



and which would teach us all some admirable lessons. Valuable 



hints are given as to the direction our action should take. 

 « * * 



Bird Protection in North America. — Mr. William Dutcher, 

 chairman of the A.O.U. committee appointed to supervise this 

 matter, reports that the Audubon Societies and subscribers to 

 the Thayer Fund have every reason to congratulate themselves 

 on the steady progress being made. The A.O.U. model law 

 has been adopted in nine States during 1903, and a glance at the 

 accompanying maps {The Auk, vol. xxi., p. 99 ct scq.) shows that 

 quite half the States have now fallen into line. In five States 

 it is admitted the committee were unsuccessful in their efforts 

 to bring the Game Laws up to date. " Day by day and year 

 by year " (Mr. Dutcher says) " there is a steady growth of 



