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SUPPLEMENT TO BIRD NOTES AND NEWS. 



not named in the Schedule, or exposing them for 

 sale. The Governor in Council may vary the 

 Schedule. Licences to kill may be issued. 



Mauritius.— 



Hong Kong.— By Ordinance No. 6 of 1885 

 and No. 8 of 1904, protection of wild birds is 

 enacted and sale forbidden during certain months 

 — March to September, both months inclusive. 



AUSTRALASIA. 



New South Wales. — By the Act (No. 26 of 

 1 901) the Close Season for all scheduled birds, except 

 quails, is fixed as between August 1st and January 

 31 st. The Colonial Secretary may vary Close Season 

 for any district, and may add or remove any bird 

 and or from the Schedule which includes foreign 

 birds such as skylark, chaffinch, goldfinch, linnet, 

 starling, and 47 native birds. The penalty is up 

 to £$ for killing a bird and 10s. for each egg. 

 Penalties are divided between the informer and 

 the Zoological Society. Preserves may be declared. 

 Persons may be authorised to "collect specimens 

 of natural history for any scientific institution or 

 museum." 



Queensland. — By the Native Birds Protection 

 Act of 1877, chap. 7, Close Season (October 1st to 

 March 1st) is provided for 30 birds and species 

 named in a Schedule. The Governor in Council 

 may extend the Act to other birds, may alter 

 the date of Close Season, and may appoint rangers. 

 A moiety of the penalty goes to the informer. By 

 the Amending Act of 1877, chap. 16, it was enacted 

 that the regulations were not to apply to farmers 

 as regards the protection of crops on their land, 

 nor to the aborigines as regards food. By the 

 Act of 1884, chap. 12, the Governor may proclaim 

 reserves. 



South Australia.— The Act of 1900 (No. 

 745) declares a perpetual Close Season [all the year 

 round] for certain species (1st Schedule) ; declares 

 no Close Time at all for other species (3rd 

 Schedule) ; declares various Close Seasons for all 

 other species (2nd Schedule). It empowers the 

 proclamation of portions of the Crown Lands, and 

 the sea shore, and public reserves as " bird pro- 

 tected districts." 



Killing, possessing, selling, or exporting pro- 

 tected birds, and destroying or selling their eggs, 

 or selling articles made from their skin or feathers, 

 are made offences punishable by progressive fines, 

 which when received are payable one half to the 

 Zoological Society and the other half to the 

 Government. The penalties are — for first offence, 

 not less than £1 nor more than £2 ; for second 

 offence, not less than £2 nor more than £2$ ; and 

 in addition in every case £$ to be paid in respect 

 of any bird in the 1st Schedule, and £2 if in the 

 2nd Schedule. 



Swivel and punt guns and the like are declared 

 illegal devices, and may be forfeited. 



By the Act of 1900, the Governor has power to 

 transfer a bird from one Schedule to another, and 

 in 1903 received power to vary the Close Times. 



By the Amending Act, 1903, the need was 

 established for bird-catchers' licenses in respect of 



birds in the 2nd Schedule in the Northern 

 Territory- 



Tasmania.— By the Act of 1895 (cap. 26) and- 

 1896 (cap. 12) Close Time was fixed for certain 

 birds. To shoot at or wilfully kill or destroy 

 the eggs of the birds named in the Schedule 

 (64 species) was made illegal, but the Governor 

 has power to authorize protected birds to be taken 

 for scientific purposes. 



By the Acts of 1901 (No. 36) and 1902 (No. 21) 

 the wattle bird and mutton bird (short-tailed petrel) 

 are protected. 



By the Act of 1903 (No. 23) to buy, sell, or offer 

 for sale the birds named in the Schedule of the 

 Act of 1895 is made an offence. 



By the Act of 1904 (No. 25) the nests and eggs 

 of species of birds enumerated cannot be taken 

 or destroyed except by the written order of a 

 Justice of the Peace. 



Victoria.— By the Game Act of 1890 Close 

 Seasons are provided for various birds, and pro- 

 tection is given to certain birds during the whole 

 year ; these latter include swallows, warblers, 

 wrens, magpies, flycatchers, etc. The Close Time 

 provided for 28 species of wild birds, such as 

 larks, plovers, teal, kingfishers, tree-creepers, 

 herons, cranes, etc., is August 1st to December 

 20th. The Governor may vary the schedules. 

 The penalty may be £2, and in addition the sum 

 of 5s. for each bird destroyed, and for having in 

 possession or for taking or destroying eggs 10s. 

 A moiety of the penalty goes to the informer. By 

 the Act of 1896 it is illegal to buy or sell the flesh, 

 skin, or feathers of any native birds, the killing of 

 which is forbidden. 



Western Australia. — The principal Act 

 (1892) was passed to protect birds and to encourage 

 persons to import birds, and gave the Governor 

 power to proclaim a Close Season for native birds, 

 and to establish Reserves. The penalty for destroy- 

 ing imported birds may be ^20, and 10s. for each 

 bird, and the instrument used may be forfeited. 

 The Colonial Secretary may grant licenses to kill, 

 and penalties for taking or destroying eggs were 

 fixed. Power to forfeit the bird or egg was given, 

 and to sell such forfeitures. 



By the Act of 1902 possession of dead birds 

 protected by proclamation under the principal Act 

 is rendered illegal, and provision made for the 

 appointment by the Governor of Inspectors to 

 assist in enforcing the Acts. 



British New Guinea. — By the Ordinance 

 (No. 2 of 1894) for the Protection of Wild Birds 

 the Administrator may issue proclamations fixing 

 Close Time as regards all wild birds ; the penalty 

 may be ,£10 or a month's imprisonment. Special 

 permits may be given to kill birds, but these must 

 specify the bird to be destroyed, the locality and 

 period during which the killing may take place. 

 By the Bird Collectors' Ordinance of 1897, 

 without a licence the destroying or capturing by 

 any means of birds existing in a wild state is 

 forbidden for any object, except for using them 

 as food or stopping them from doing mischief. 



Fiji.— By the Ordinance (No. 6, 1895) for the 



