Vol. VIII. 



IQOO 



J From Magazines, S-c. l6l 



should be the duty of Inspectors of Nuisances, the police, and 

 other officers to see that Sparrows are not allowed to breed 

 about premises ; municipalities should have power to prosecute ; 

 householders and persons in charge of buildings should be 

 compelled to take reasonable steps to prevent Sparrows nesting 

 and rearing their young ; agricultural, pastoral, and horti- 

 cultural societies receiving grants from the Government should 

 be required to spend a certain sum annually in fighting the pest, 

 by offering prizes for eggs or heads, or organizing their members 

 for the purpose of dealing with it in other ways. A " Bird Day " 

 in schools is recommended, and the opinion is expressed that 

 " much can be done by encouraging .' the boy ' to a life-long 

 Sparrow war." When dealing with the birds in the breeding 

 season it is advised to " let the birds hatch the eggs and feed 

 the young for a week, then tiestroy the young before they can 

 fly." Poisoning operations can be most successfully carried out 

 in August. In the hope of the ultimate establishment of a 

 fresh " balance of nature " through the agency of our native 

 birds of prey, Mr. Musson would protect the smaller Hawks 

 and the Butcher-Birds, as well as the Owls and Crow. It is 

 pointed out, however, that we cannot afford to idly wait for this 

 desirable remedy, as " it takes time for them to become 

 accustomed to a new article of food." The same reason, it is to 

 be feared, may delay the adoption of the recommendation that 

 we should use the Sparrow as food. While extermination may 

 be impossible, it is obvious that if the recommendations of the 

 report be carried out, the result must be a sensible check to the 

 spread of this feathered larrikin, to the advantage not only of 

 the farmer and fruit-grower, but also of some of our native birds. 

 Appended to the report is a diagram map showing the wide 

 distribution of the Sparrow in New South Wales. 



Correspondence. 



THE WHITE-EYE V. ORCHARDIST. 



To tJie Editors of " The Emu.'" 



Sirs, — I was very pleased to read in the last issue of The Emu* 

 that able article by Mr. A. H. Chisholm in defence of the little 

 Zosterops. I agree entirely with that gentleman when he says 

 that these little birds do more good than harm, and not only 

 this species, but many more of our native birds which are 

 supposed to be harmful. And I may go further in saying that 

 I do not believe there is a single species of our native birds 

 that can be qualified as a pest. The reason of my writing in 

 this strain is that it annoys one much to see articles setting 

 forth trifling mischief that some of our birds may do ; and, 

 worse still, these articles are written by ornithologists, who must 



* Vol. viii., p. 35. 



