24 
A, Scientific Control axd In\^estigation. 
It is al once iipcessary to emphasize the fact that in the very early stages of tliis 
cnc|uiry I realized ihe futility of attempting, in the time at my disposal, a detailed 
iuvestigHiLioM into the ecology of swiftlets. 
lo thiee years a traiued biologist should bo able to produce a more or leSs 
cxhaimtivc report ou the subject. lu the event of the Goveriitncut ever considering 
auch an appointment I think tliat a youeg man with a scientific tiainiug and a taste for 
ornitliology would find the appointment congenial. An excellent subject for, doctorial 
thesis 18 provided. Tlie salary, emoluments and privileges oftered should he the samo 
as those of a junior officer of professional status in the service. 
In the event of the Government not pursuing this course the followinjj comments 
and suggestious are offered ; — 
L The keynote of all practical aduiini^itratiun oi the caves should he CAUTION. 
The birds have bred there for many years and many remain in residence indefin- 
itely. The industry is probably stable, but eptdernical diseases are not unknown 
among birds and the extreme susceptibility of breeding birds to interference is well 
known. The swiftlcts have proved themselves very tolerant of human intervention 
but the introduction of any new, unsuspected element in their environment would be 
a dangerous experiment. 
2. Under no circumstances should more than three collections of white nests be 
allowed in a "season". 
3. Any sudden decrease in the numbers of the birds or a serious shortage in the 
crop of nests for any one year should be met by the immediate enforcement of a close 
season which for convenience can be fixed in factors of one calendar yeav^ 1st January 
to ^Ist December. 
4. To take the third crop of white nests before the young birds have voluntarily 
vacated the nests is a sure way of extermiuatiog the species. 
5. An attempt to reduce the present high rate of infant mortality should be 
made (Section xiv). 
6. A qualified engineer could possibly assist the climbers to reach parts of the 
caves hitherto regarded as inaccessible. 
B, Business ARRAKGE^fKKi-s. 
The writer is not qualified to make suggestions under this heading but the great 
difference between the wholesale price paid for nests in Borneo and the retail price 
asked in Singapore ( the Hong Kong retail prices arc not known ) suggests that there 
is an inequitable division of a huge profit, the middle men getting more than their 
share wliile the workers and the Government get less. Here h may lie noted that 
there is a recorded instance (not in Borneo) of the actual collectors of the nests having 
their profits reduced to such an extent that they ceased to work their caves. 
