88 Great Forward Movement in Bird Protection. list Oct 



obtained in Victoria. Thus the game laws of both States were defeated. 

 The Federal Government should take action which would do away with this 

 difficulty. 



" Mr. Deakin, in reply, said that the deputation was the most representa- 

 tive of this character which had ever put forward its views in Australia. 

 They devoted themselves, of their own choice and taste, it was true, to 

 pursuits which had an enormous economic value to this country. He was 

 quite confident from his own reading and general knowledge that the 

 statements they had made as the value of bird life to the Commonwealth 

 were accurate, and by destroying certain forms of that bird life, either 

 intentionally or more or less accidentally, they were disturbing the balance 

 of Nature, for which they must pay a heavy debt. (Hear, hear.) The 

 question touched upon humanitarianism, if that word could be applied to 

 birds, and some of the speakers seemed to have a greater faith in the 

 Commonwealth Government than a knowledge of the Commonwealth 

 Constitution. (Laughter.) It was not in the Commonwealth's power to 

 legislate in regard to the animal or bird life of this country, so that the law 

 should operate in all the States. He believed that if they would repeat their 

 request to the State Governments those Governments would enforce the 

 existing laws so as to prevent the massacre of Lyre-Birds, to which allusion 

 had been made. Another sex had a controlling power in this matter far 

 greater than the Commonwealth and States combined. If that womanly 

 pity were only directed to the matter they would have accomplished the 

 whole of what they had in view. If Australian women were active in that 

 regard they would achieve in Australia at once what the Government could 

 not do for many years to come. In June last he had found that of the two 

 powers which the Commonwealth Government might exercise they had at 

 present only the minor power of prohibiting importation. He had asked the 

 Minister of Customs to draft a by-law prohibiting the importation of birds' 

 plumes and skins. The great power was control of exportation. He had 

 asked the Minister for Customs to prepare a bill giving the Commonwealth 

 that power. This bill would be brought forward before the end of the year. 

 In the meantime he had last month communicated with the various States 

 inviting the Governments to prevent the ruthless destruction of these 

 beautiful birds. New South Wales and Victoria replied that they would 

 give the matter consideration. South Australia said that the provisions of 

 the existing law would be enforced. Tasmania also referred to the Came 

 Protection Act. From Queensland and Western Australia he had received 

 no replies. He had very little doubt that if their association put itself in 

 touch with the State Governments they would find a ready response. In 

 reply to the inquiry from Lord Avebury's committee, he had cabled to 

 London that they had no objection to the bill which the committee proposed 

 to introduce. To date the Commonwealth had done all that it was possible 

 to do — ('Hear, hear'j — and they would ask for larger powers before the 

 year closed. In Papua in 1904 they had prohibited, except under special 

 permit, the killing of Birds-of-Paradise. That was suspended for one year, 

 which ended in April last. The suspension covered only a small area. No 

 authority had been given for any extension of that suspension, and at present 

 destruction ot birds in Papua was prohibited." 



Considerable interest concerning bird protection has also been 

 aroused in New South Wales. Mr. A. H. S. Lucas, M.A., B.Sc, 

 on the 25th March, 1908, in his presidential address to the Linnean 

 Society, concerning Birds * stated : — 



" It is hard to speak in terms of calm moderation on the subject of 

 the protection of our native birds. Enthusiasm is liable to be looked 

 upon with suspicion. But the point is that everyone who studies the useful 



* Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W., vol. xxxiii., pp. 33-37. 





