86



A Victory for Aviculture : The Penguins of Macquarie Island



Resolution passed by Women’s International Congress

calling for legislation in all countries to prevent the destruction

of birds for millinery purposes (May 9).


1916. Resolution carried at the annual meeting of the R.S.P.B.

calling upon the Government to prohibit entirely the importa¬

tion of wild birds’ plumage as a useless and undesirable import

and a wholly indefensible form of extravagance.


1917. Importation of all plumage prohibited by Board of Trade

proclamation, February 23.


1919. Deputation from the R.S.P.B. received by the President of the

Board of Trade (Sir Auckland Geddes), who, in reply, expresses

the hope that permanent legislation may be obtained, possibly

at the beginning of next year.


Restrictions on importation of plumage removed in common

with restrictions on all other imports, September 1.


Sir Auckland Geddes states in House of Commons (August 18)

that the object would be better attained by special legislation

than by an adaptation of the import restrictions; and

(November 11) that a BILL HAS BEEN DRAFTED, but in

view of the pressure of Parliamentary business no date for its

introduction can be named.



A VICTORY FOR AVICULTURE: THE PENGUINS

OF MACQUARIE ISLAND


We have received the following from the London Correspondent of

the North Queensland Register :—-


“ At the Brisbane congress of the Royal Australian Ornithologists’

Union Mr. C. Lord (Tasmania) emphasized the necessity for the

Macquarie Island being made a sanctuary for the preservation of the

Penguin. Captain White (South Australia) moved that this union

is of the opinion that Macquarie Island should be declared a sanctuary

for the perpetuation of the fauna of the Antarctic. He said that the

Federal Government proposed to buy the island from Tasmania,



