^"'ig^s'" 1 Chisholm, Bird Protection in Queensland. 24I 



oiogist. Later he could be paid and instruct the children of their 

 schools regarding the nature of the birds and their services to the 

 country. Every State in America had a professional ornithologist 

 attached to the Agricultural Department to give advice on those 

 matters. He knew that the Minister was greatly hampered for 

 want of funds, but in the meantime he might make some improve- 

 ment, and afterwards adopt the practice of the American States. 



In this debate Mr. Gunn offered further advocacy of the interests 

 of the birds, particularly in their relation to the blow-fiy and tick 

 pests, and he was followed by the Hon. J. G. Appel (Liberal). 

 The latter said that he, as a native of the State, liked to see the 

 birds and bears looked after. He did not think that almost any 

 penalty was too great for those who contravened the Bird 

 Preservation Ad. In the district in which he lived the Agricultural 

 Department was good enough to proclaim a reservation extending 

 from the south head of the Nerang River to the Tweed Heads, 

 and proclaim the properties which he possessed there also to be 

 reservations for birds. It was marvellous, since that reservation 

 had been effected, to notice the increase in bird-life. Since the 

 reservation had been made you could see male Regent-Birds, Satin- 

 Birds, and other birds of different characters which even he — 

 although he had been living there for twenty-nine years — knew 

 nothing about. 



The Minister for Agriculture (Hon. W. Lennon), in replying to 

 the champions of the birds, outlined various points on which the 

 Department had already been active, and promised to continue 

 to do wliat he could to safeguard. Queensland's avifauna. ' 



A Menacing Industry. 



Mr. Forde not only spoke generally in advocacy of the birds ; 

 he took the lead (at the request of members of the R.A.O.U.) in 

 offering opposition to what was characterized by a Cairns resident 

 (in a letter to the present writer) as " the biggest blow which bird- 

 lovers have been called upon to face." The nature of this is 

 indicated in the following report {vide Hansard) of Mr. Forde's 

 remarks : — " During the last few days there had been on view at the 

 Belle Vue Hotel a display of the feathers of some of their beautiful 

 wild birds made up in the form of flowers, and, from what he was 

 told, their Governor and several of their Ministers had visited the 

 display. They had been very pleased with it ; but he regretted 

 to hear, on the authority of two bird-men who inspected the 

 exhibition, that much of its effect was secured only by the 

 sacrifice of the lives of many of Queensland's best birds — birds 

 which were presumed to enjoy the protection of the law. He 

 understood that those feather flowers had been placed with a big 

 city firm, which was to act as the agent for the owner, who pro- 

 posed to carry on an industry. He trusted, however, that the 

 Government would secure advice and act firmly and quickly in 

 putting a stop to the trafiic, because it would be a serious menace 

 to Queensland. Such an industry as the manufacture of fancy hat 



