Conservation of Birds and Mammals in Canada 



BY 



C. Gordon Hewitt, D.Sc, F.R.S.C, CM.Z.S. 

 Dominion Bntomologist, Ottawa 



MR. CHAIRMAN and Gentlemen: I have a number of matters 

 of interest which I would like to bring to the attention of the 

 Commission in connection with conservation of birds and mammals 

 in Canada. 



Protection of Birds 



Treaty with First of all, I wish to refer to the question of the 

 Migratory protection of birds. This Commission has been devot- 



Birds ing its attention to the conservation of our game and 



migratory birds and, some time ago, invited Mr. Haskell here to 

 discuss the question of an International Convention with the United 

 States to cover the protection of the migratory birds. The United 

 States Government passed a Federal Act providing for the protection 

 of migratory birds, both game and insectivorous, and, as many of 

 those birds had their breeding places in Canada, it was very desirable, 

 and indeed necessary, in order to carry out the objects they had in 

 view, to obtain the cooperation of Canada. Consequently, they sub- 

 mitted this matter to the Canadian Government and it has been under 

 the consideration of the Dept. of Agriculture, the Commission of 

 Conservation and the Dept. of the Interior. I am very glad to be able 

 to read to you this afternoon the Order in Council which the Govern- 

 ment passed this summer, dealing with this matter. I think, if I read 

 the whole Order in Council, it will explain the matter better than if I 

 simply referred briefly to the essential portion of it. The Order in 

 Council passed on 31st May, 1915, is as follows: 



" The Committee of the Privy Council have had before them a 

 report froni the Secretary of State for External AfiEairs, dated 6th 

 May, 1915, representing that he has had under consideration a 

 despatch to Your Royal Highness from His Majesty's Ambassador at 

 Washington, (No. 36), dated 24th February, 1914, enclosing a draft 

 of a Convention between Great Britain and the United States for the 

 protection of migratory birds in the United States and Canada, put 

 forward by the United States Government. 



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