4 . 
The. South Australian Naturalist. 
The . committee again met on August 11 to discuss the pro- 
posed alterations in the sancturaries on the Coorong. It was 
considered by some members that by withholding the protection 
of the foreshore immediately opposite Pelican Island it would be 
laying open the unique breeding-place of the pelicans to greater 
molestation. It was resolved that three of the members confer 
with other scientific bodies on the matter. 
In spite of vigorous protests the destruction of our native 
trees and plants is still going on upon our roadsides and elsewhere. 
This is^reatly to be deplored seeing that with the trees and plants 
must inevitably disappear so much of our bird, animal and insect 
life. 
(Signed) S. A. WHITE, Chairman. 
MARIE L. BENDA, Hon. Secretary. 
FLINDERS CHASE. 
The effects of trade interests on the fauna and flora of Kan- 
garoo Island, are such that one has now to go a long way from 
settled areas to find virgin conditions. The trapping of animals 
for pelt and fur has, during the past few years, attained such 
proportions that a halt has been called with a view to permitting 
some recuperation. No such legislation however exists in respect 
to the wonderful grass trees or black boys {Xanthorrhoea) and 
the cutting of the trees, with their incidental destruction, now 
necessitates a journey of 40 miles or so from Kingscote, all the 
intervening supplies having been exhausted. When forest trees 
are cut the planting of new timber becomes the question of the 
moment, such planting however is not required in the case of the 
grass trees or yuccas, for seedlings there are in plenty. The dis- 
turbing element in their case is the extremely slow growth, for 
except with the youngest plants, half an inch a year would pos- 
sibly be a liberal estimate and ten minutes or less will suffice to 
utterly destroy a tree that has lived for may be 80 or 100 years. 
With a few strokes of the axe the gummer will strike off the glor- 
ious crown of leaves and reduce the quaint looking trunk to an 
angular stump, a pitiful relic of a once interesting botanical sub- 
ject. This commercialism must apparently go on until, except in 
protected areas, the grass tree, as a profitable object of exploita- 
tion, is no more. It is refreshing therefore to turn to the condi- 
tions on Flinders Chase where for all time the grass tree will 
grow by millimetres, will raise its marvellous flowering spike to 
