168 BIRDS OF TASMANIA. 



islands should be to a great and increasing extent deprived of their 

 only harvest in the year owing to the greed and selfishness of a few 

 non-resident holders of grazing licences. 



Any article dealing with Mutton-Birds would be incomplete 

 without some reference to their economic value. In 1905 I was 

 engaged in making some investigations on this subject, and feel I 

 cannot do better than reprint the result of my inquiries. The 

 figures given may be taken as a criterion for other years. As I 

 previously remarked, the season opens on the 20th March each 

 year : — 



' ' For some time previous men arrive on the scenes of their 

 future operations from Launceston, the North-West Coast, the 

 largest islands in the Strait, and from other places. They rebuild 

 their temporary huts and get everything ready so that there will be 

 no hitch when the real work commences. Empty casks by the 

 dozen, for putting the birds in, either accompany the men or are 

 sent down almost immediately. The viodus operandi of ' birding ' 

 is briefly as follows : — The young bird is dragged out of its burrow 

 and has its neck dislocated by a smart jerk. Then some fifty or 

 more birds are strung on a spit, care being taken that their heads 

 are upwards, else the oil will run out of their mouths. The next 

 operation is to pluck, then scald the body, to remove all feathers 

 and down, after which the feet are cut off. After the bodies have 

 been allowed to cool on the grass for some time they are cleaned, 

 the head and neck removed, and finally salted or pickled in the 

 barrels brought for the purpose. Birders always retain a certain 

 number of birds for their own home consumption. On my turning 

 up the Government year-books and other likely and unlikely publi- 

 cations, I found that no attempt had been made to ascertain the 

 number of birds imported into Tasmania. In my perplexity I 

 applied to Mr. Geo. D. Gardner; he very good-naturedly and at 

 some considerable trouble compiled me some statistics for last 

 season. He estimates that some 555,000 birds were cajstured last 

 year. Of this number 475,000 were landed in Launceston, 10,000 

 each at Beaconsfield and George Town, and the balance consumed 

 on the islands. The whole of those received in Launceston are not 

 consumed locally, many casks being sent to the various mining 

 fields and the larger townships. I am given to understand that 

 practically no Mutton-Birds are captured on the islands lying ofE 

 Hobart, nor are they brought direct into that place from any of 

 the other islands. The same authority informed me that these 

 birds are practically unknown in Sydney. The birds are sold 

 wholesale at so much per 100, and retail at so much per dozen. 

 For the last three years the prices were : — 1902, 10s., lis. ; 1903, 

 lis., 12s. 6d. ; 1904, 14s. per 100. Last year was a bad year, owing 

 to the continuous wet during the hatching season, consequently 

 the number of birds caught was much below the average, and the 

 selling price as much above. The birds are retailed at eight a 



