iqos'" J Great Forward Movement in Bird Protection. 01 



municated a message from the hon. secretary to the effect that the 

 society was arranging for a deputation to the Premier. 



Mr. Frank Farnell (chairman of the National Park Trust), Mr. 

 F. J. W. Harrison (secretary to the Kuring-Gai Chase Trust), Mr. 

 F. M. Rothery (secretary of the Animals Protection Society of New 

 South Wales), and others, also spoke. 



It was resolved that a sub-committee, consisting of Messrs. R. T. 

 Baker, W. W. Froggatt, A. G. Hamilton, J. H. Maiden, A. J. 

 North, and the ex officio members, be appointed to confer with the 

 other societies which are contemplating an appeal to the Govern- 



"^^"'•- {Continued on p. no.) 



The Muttori'Bird (Puffinus tenuirostris) Traffic. 



Important Recommendations. 



The Commissioner of Police (Mr. Lord) has submitted to the 

 Attorney-General (Tasmania) his report upon his investigations 

 made during his recent visit to the Furneaux Group in the Strait. 



After giving a general history of the claims for Mutton-Bird 

 reserves on the island, Mr. Lord submitted a number of deductions 

 and recommendations. Stock-grazing on rookery reserves should 

 be discontinued. He asserts that even if all arguments in favour 

 of stocking were to be admitted, then it should still be prevented, 

 because if stock were once landed there could be no guarantee 

 that it would be removed before the birds laid. A grazing lease 

 which was issued in June last for the Chappel reserve he con- 

 sidered to be ultra vires, and thought it should be cancelled as 

 from ist September, steps being taken to have stock removed 

 immediately. 



Mr. Lord next recommended that freehold blocks on the islands 

 upon which Crown lands have been reserved for Mutton-Birding 

 should be resumed by the Crown. He holds that there can be no 

 satisfactory administration of the regulations until this be done. 

 He recommended that blocks should be resumed at Chappel 

 Island totalling go acres. loo acres on Babel Island, and five acres 

 on Little Green Island. There were no freeholds on the other 

 islands reserved for Mutton-Birding purposes. The whole of the 

 rookeries had been deserted, and the remainder were not so good 

 as they were, yet a greater number of birds were taken. 



The Mutton-Birds traced to Launceston merchants for the 

 markets during the past five years were as follows : — 1904, 379,804 ; 

 1905,459,094; 1906,493,777; 1907, 572,671, and 1908, 636,592. 

 Nothing was done to improve the existing rookeries, or to limit 

 the number of birds destroyed. 



On such lines, remarks Mr. Lord, it would be remarkable if the 

 supply did not eventually run out. He recommended to limit the 

 issue of the Mutton-Bird license to the capacity of the respective 

 Mutton-Bird reserves, licenses to be issued only to bond-fide 

 residents of the Furneaux Group of 12 months' standing. It was 



