56 Meetings of Sedimi IV. 



Passing on, Mr. Littler stated lie could not understand 

 why Snipe were placed on the black list in South Australia ; 

 the species in Tasmania, he asserted, was very rare. 



To a certain extent the same remarks applied to the 

 Wattle Bird. The Tasmanian Wattle Bird is one of the 

 island's best game birds. A couple of years since it was 

 placed on the totally protected list ; now, however, it has 

 been replaced on the semi-protected list. Mr. Littler was 

 afraid, however, that before long* it will have to be afforded 

 total protection. 



Mr. Frank E. Lemon read his paper on the " Rationale of 

 Bird Protection." After emphasising' the need of Protection, 

 Mr. Lemon dealt with the causes producing diminution and 

 then with the various points which should be borne in mind 

 to make protection complete. Eeference was then made to 

 the various protection Acts throughout the British Dominions 

 and attention drawn to the various methods employed by 

 the different Governments to compass the end in view. 

 Finally, attention was called to the International Convention 

 which had brought about protection for certain parts of 

 Africa. 



The Hon. Walter Rothschild said that he had very 

 definite views, differing from the general feeling of the 

 meeting, on several points of bird protection, but he did not 

 rise to discuss these points. He merely wished to say, that, 

 in his opinion, the only rational methods of bird protection 

 were : firstly, to supply adequate nesting facilities and 

 refuges (reserves) in each district ; secondly, to take the 

 enforcement of bird protection laws out of the hands of 

 the police, and place them in the hands of specially ap- 

 pointed officers or wardens ; and lastly, that these wardens 

 be given wide discretion in respect to severe or lenient inter- 

 pretation of the law, and they ought to have the right to 

 grant licenses to kill birds for scientific purposes or for 

 public museums. 



Mr. W. P. Ptcraft remarked that he did not believe any 

 real good or any substantial advance would be made in the 

 matter of Legislation for the Protection of Birds, until the 

 Board of Agriculture took up the subject, and instituted a 

 Department of Economic Ornithology, after the model 



