8 CUUMl'TON — History of Ornithology in South Australia. 



the cormorants feed on the enemies of our fish although fisher- 

 men do not all recognize it. 



We have watched the close season for our game birds, made 

 suggestions for its improvement, encouraged and assisted the 

 police in prosecutions against offenders taking or destroying 

 these birds while breeding. We have noticed the export of 

 cage birds, which is a large business. It is obvious that were it 

 not for an enthusiastic body of men constantly watching over 

 these matters, it would be very few years before there would 

 be no game birds for our sportsmen and no finches or parrots 

 available for export. This Association has also been a formid- 

 able enemy to the plume hunters, men who would shoot the 

 egret on her nest, exterminate our robins, wrens, and bee 

 eaters for the decoration of women's hats, and when they find 

 that public opinion is against them, roused by the work of bird 

 protection associations, would try and dispose of their spoils 

 as artificial. 



Secondly the study of our avifauna. Much information has 

 been gained regarding the habits, food, etc., of our birds, which 

 without systematic endeavour would have been impossible, e.g. 

 it was recorded by Mr. J. W. Mellor that under a tree at the 

 Reedbeds, frequented by a pair of the delicate owl strix delica- 

 tula, were to be found large numbers of the quids ejected by 

 these birds, on examination of which he had found them to con- 

 tain a great number of sparrow, and mouse heads, also the re- 

 mains of several rats. In all over 200 of these quids were ex- 

 amined and not one contained the remains of any native bird. 



The first work of note the association engaged in was the pro- 

 tection of the birds on our forest reserves. These reserves 

 were really waste land leased for grazing purposes, and no par- 

 ticular care was taken of the timber thereon. Anyone could 

 come along, get a permit from the lessee, who was called care- 

 taker, and for a. nominal fee, cut any timber that suited his 

 purpose. The birds were not protected, and as a rule these 

 reserves formed happy hunting grounds for anybody who had 

 a gun. 



The forest reserves are now under the control of the conser 

 vator of forests, many hundred thousand trees have been 

 planted, timber is cut systematically under the management of 

 a permanent caretaker, and they have all been gazetted bird 

 sanctuaries under The Birds Protection Act of 1900. 



Then closely followed the Birds Protection Act of 1900. The 

 members were not only largely instrumental in getting the 



