4 A BUREAU OP BIOLOGICAL SURVEY, 



Previous to the war, the ornithologists of the countries of Central Europe 

 protested against the wholesale slaughter of the game and insectivorous birds as 

 they rested on the shores of the Mediterranean after their long flight homeward 

 from the south, and a number of International conferences had been held in Hun- 

 gary, Austria, and Russia. On the 19th November, 1913, the International Con- 

 ference for the Global Protection of Nature was held at Berne, Switzerland, when 

 19 countries were represented. 



Among them the Australian Commonwealth was represented by Mr. F . J . E . 

 Carroll, and Victoria by Mr. McBride. The Hon. C. N. Rothschild appeared 

 for Great Britain. An Acte de Fondation was issued and signed by those pre- 

 sent. Beside the more deeply interested European delegates, two representative-; 

 were nominated for all the self-governing colonies. I had the honour, with my 

 friend Mr. J. H. Maiden, to be nominated to represent Australia. 



The next meeting to which we were invited was to have taken place in Vienna 

 in 1915, but was abandoned on account of the outbreak of war. The subjects 

 to have been discussed were as follow : — 



(1) The Preservation of the Birds of Passage. 



(2) The Preservation of Warm-blooded Sea Animals, Whales, Seals, and in 

 connection with the Whaling Industry of Norway. 



(3) The abolition of the use of poison in the destruction of carnivorous 

 animals. 



(4) Trading in the feathers and skins of birds for millin ery purposes . 



(5) The preservation of the fauna of Spitsbergen. 



(6) The Russian and Canadian Governments to be urged to protect the 

 Musk Ox. 



The question of another meeting of this International Conference was mooted 

 last year; but as the European States concerned were in such a disorganised con- 

 dition and several of the enemies delegates were included in the List, the whole 

 question will have to be reorganised. 



Canada and the United States only came to an understanding last year in 

 regard to the treatment of the migratory birds common to both countries. The 

 International Convention in 1916 between Great Britain and the United States has 

 been effective in the passing of the "Migratory Birds Convention Act." This 

 treaty was signed in Washington on August 16th, 1916, and was ratified by the 

 Senate of the United States a few weeks later. This International Act affects the 

 lives of 1000 species and sub-species of North American birds that range from the 

 Arctic regions to the Gulf of Mexico. 



As in Australia, much experimental legislation had been enforced by the 

 United States in their endeavour to save their native fauna. Their difficulties 

 were greater than ours; for until quite modern times not only had every one of 

 the fifty individual States and territories their own State game laws, but many of 

 the counties of some States had their own local game Acts; so that a poacher 

 could step over the border of an adjoining county or a State and defy the game 

 warden with impunity. 



The importance of the relation of birds to agriculture was proved by the in- 

 vestigations carried out by the American Ornithologists' Union, and led to Con- 

 gress granting on July 1st, 1885, an appropriation of 5000 dollars, to be expended 

 under the direction of the Federal Division of Entomology. 



Dr. D. C. Merriam, the well-known zoologist, was placed in charge of this 

 work, and in the following year it was given separate rank as the Division of 

 Biological Survey when the importance of the work was recognised . 



