64 Notes and Notices. \ ^"f", 



T^ List July 



whom the long, meaningless, mock- Latin names that are now hourly invented 

 must be anathema. If in our day the science of entomology can be 

 advanced only by the invention of names for every freak that is found to 

 exist naturally, or that can be manufactured in our breeding-cages, then 

 the simple pleasure that our forefathers derived from its pursuit cannot be 

 ours, and the day will surely come when entomology, as a hobby for the 

 jaded 'men of toil,' will be a thing of the past." 



The Wild Life Preservation Society of Australia.— A society 

 formed four years ago, which has done active work since its 

 inception towards securing protection for the native fauna, has 

 recently endeavoured to secure the entire protection of the Black 

 Swans, as has been done in the case of the Brush and Plain 

 Turkeys in New South Wales ; but this object has not yet 

 been attained. After repeated representations to the State 

 authorities, the opossum has been entirely protected up to 

 IQ24. Notwithstanding such protection, the export of opossum 

 skins still goes on. Representations have therefore been made to 

 the State authorities and to the Minister for Trade and Customs 

 with the object of stopping the exportation of these skins. It is 

 believed were it not for the export trade the destruction of these 

 animals would cease. The Society has reason to believe that 

 its representations in this direction will shortly have a satisfactory 

 result. Already the exportation of Emu skins is prohibited, 

 although the Emu is not, like the opossum, entirely protected. 

 Whether other States will fall into line with New South Wales 

 remains to be seen. In Queensland a very systematic and 

 inhuman slaughter goes on in the interest of the opossum skin 

 trade, the methods of trapping being very barbarous. 



The prohibition of the importation of certain plumage appears to 

 be inequitably enforced in the various States, every case of these 

 goods being opened by the New South Wales Customs, whilst there 

 is every indication that in some of the States great laxity in this 

 respect exists. This fact has been brought directly under the 

 notice of the Minister for Trade and Customs, who has been good 

 enough to intimate that inquiries are being made. The question of 

 the close season for Wild Ducks has been raised by a correspondent 

 of the Society, and the desirability of having a different season in 

 the various localities has been (not for the first time) discussed. 



In a Consular report received from the late Vice Consul-General 

 in New South Wales for the U.S.A., Mr. Baker, prominence is given 

 to the closing of the market in Australia to imported plumage of 

 certain kinds. Mr. H. D. Baker, who is now Consul for U.S.A. at 

 Nassau, the Bahamas, is a member of the Wild Life Preservation 

 Society of Australia, and an enthusiast on bird protection. The 

 Wild Life Preservation Society of Australia at its last two functions 

 employed cinematograph pictures of a very interesting and 

 intructive character, which have been much appreciated by all 

 present. 



The annual subscription of the Society is 5s., and the hon. 

 secretary is Mr. Arthur W. Atkinson, " Whare-Ona," Manly, New 

 South Wales. 



