J""^' T Keartland, The Quail Season, 191J. 21 



1Q12 J ) ?^ ) ^ 



tions of breeding, I opened them myself, and found that all 

 of the female birds, without a single exception, were full of 

 eggs, some of which were nearly ready for laying. Although 

 I examined the contents of several bags, I could not find a 

 single bird in immature plumage. Therefore, if last season 

 was an abnormal one, this season is much more so. 



On Friday, i6th February, I had a trial of another farm, 

 but by 8.30 a.m. decided to go straight home, as the heat was 

 too much for the dogs. It is over thirty years since I saw the 

 folly of going duck-shooting on the opening day, as I consider 

 it wanton waste to slaughter a lot of birds and then throw 

 them away. I have now determined to do the same with 

 regard to quail-shooting. A gentleman who was duck-shooting 

 with a party from Government House on the opening day 

 this season told me that he was sure that less than one-tenth 

 of the birds shot were fit to use when they reached home. 



Why cannot the sliooting of all feathered game be pro- 

 hibited until the ist April, by which time the birds would all 

 be matured and he fit to use or present to our friends ? I am 

 informed that in many of the States of America feathered game 

 shooting is only permitted during the winter months. A 

 perusal of the press reports confirms the opinion. The 

 Dandenong Advertiser of 22nd February says : — " Some fair 

 bags of quail were got at the opening, which is at least one 

 month too early for this district (Pakenham). A number of 

 birds were unable to fly, and in some cases were run down by 

 the dogs and caught." The Argiis, 23rd February • — " Mr. 

 Row says that out of 75 brace shot at Scoresby. he only found 

 one bird that could not fly. In southern districts of Victoria 

 one might expect to find birds breeding late." [That one 

 bird which could not fly must have been very young, as birds 

 which I reared from the eggs could fly well when eight days 

 old. — G. A. K.) Another paragraph in the Argus of 23rd 

 February gives a different account. A correspondent, writing 

 from Ballarat a description of his shooting in the Ascot 

 district on the 15th, says that " he came across three young 

 birds about two or three days out of the shell, and about half 

 the size of a canary — probably a second brood. He also saw 

 many young birds which were just about able to fly." In the 

 Argus of 8th March we read : — " A member of the Bird 

 Observers' Club who went out on the opening day said ho 

 met another shooter with a number of ' squeakers ' in his 

 possession. His excuse was. ' They all count towards the 

 bag.' " A good reason for ])lacing a limit on game bags. 

 Another correspondent, writing from Glenroy, says : — " I was 

 out on Saturday, and found the majority of the birds very 

 small — some not as large as sparrows, and only partly fledged. 

 In my opinion, the season should not be opened before the 



