l8o Royal Ausivalasian Ornithologists Union. [^J 



Emu 

 Dec 



the Union for the betterment of bhd protection. Some of the 

 recommendations adopted are already bearing fruit. 



Nor must I omit to mention the suggestion (Emu, vol. vi., 

 p. 103) of one of my predecessors, Colonel C. S. Ryan, in his 

 presidential address on '• The Protection of Birds," delivered 

 before the Hobart Session, 1907 : — " To educate the people to 

 love birds is better for their (birds') protection than many acts of 

 legislation. Let us, then, educate the children. I am confident, 

 in speaking for my own State (Victoria), that the Director for 

 Education, Mr. Frank Tate, with his well-known love for ' nature 

 study,' would introduce Australian ornithology into the curriculum 

 of State Schools. Such a study would surely ' catch on ' with the 

 scholars, because birds are, perhaps, the most fascinating branch 

 of natural history." 



A "• Bird- Day " has been introduced into the Victorian State 

 schools, and has " caught on " in a marvellous manner. Time and 

 space alone prevent me from enlarging on its wonderful success. 

 The Education Department has also issued a remarkably cheap 

 descriptive list of Victorian birds, which was so well received that 

 Inspector Leach is compiling a more complete edition, plentifully 

 illustrated, in some instances with coloured plates. This is a 

 distinct advance in the education of the young. Other States are 

 introducing ornithology into their school systems, notably South 

 Australia and Tasmania, while I understand Queensland will pub- 

 lish her first bird articles for the children in The School Paper for 

 January. 



Working Excursions. — A very conspicuous feature in connection 

 with the annual sessions has been the working camp-outs or ex- 

 cursions, when ornithologists from the various States met and 

 worked together in the field. I need hardly dilate upon the 

 pleasure and profit accruing to the participators in such excursions. 

 The outings are eminently practical, and a good training-ground 

 for rising ornithologists, perchance explorers. Enlightened 

 Governments have, I think, recognized these facts ; hence the 

 assistance freely given from time to time to the Union's expeditions. 



Regarding a training-ground for explorers, I fear some of the 

 members of the present expedition to the coral islands of the 

 Capricorn Group, off Gladstone, will enjoy a rough time, but I 

 promise them rougher times ahead when we hope, in the near future, 

 to ornithologically explore the very important Melville Island, 

 North Australia, or probably some of the sub-antarctic islands of 

 New Zealand. In this connection I am reminded of a letter I 

 received many years ago from the late Professor Alfred Newton, 

 of Cambridge — " You will hardly be satisfied until you have com- 

 pleted the islands of Antarctica." We did request the Admiralty 

 for a loan of a gunboat to explore the Royal Company's Islands, 

 far to the southward of Tasmania. No doubt a vessel would have 

 been provided had the Admiralty been able to find the islands, 

 which, since our request, have been, by order, expunged as myths 

 from the official charts. 



