PRESEEVATION OF GAME. 189 



plovers, and wattle-birds. It is a matter of doubt 

 whether the kangaroo will ever be deemed worth pre- 

 serving, but I have already touched upon this subject. 



Some of the game birds, such as the quail, pigeon, and 

 rail, only come into this part of Port Phillip to breed, 

 and I know the shooters here will say, that as soon as 

 they have done breeding they all leave with their young, 

 and unless shot just at the times when they come down 

 none would be got at all. This may be partly true, but, 

 in my opinion, we never gave the birds a fair chance to 

 see how long they would stay on the breeding-grounds 

 with their families after the breeding season. I fancy, 

 if allowed to breed in peace, they would remain till the 

 end of autumn, perhaps well into winter. As to snipe, 

 they might be killed at any time when they can be found 

 here, for I fancy they breed up in the ranges early, in 

 places little trod by the foot of the white man, and those 

 which do come down into the peopled districts are the old 

 birds and birds of the year. The ducks pair off to breed 

 about the end of September (I once took a nest as early 

 as August), and the flappers come down to the creeks in. 

 January. The pigeons breed in December, and the 

 young birds are flyers by the end of January. The 

 heart of the quail breeding season is early in December, 

 and in January we kill strong flyers. My opinion is, 

 therefore, that the safest way to preserve the game here, 

 would be to make November, December, and January 

 "fence months," for every species of game excepting 

 snipe, in the settled districts. The shooters would then 



