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Sydney Porter—Notes from Australia



In the face of all these things it is impossible for the bird life of

Australia, as an entirety, to survive. At least a high percentage of the

most interesting and unique birds, like those of our own country where

most of the interesting avifauna has long disappeared, will in the course

of time vanish, and Australia will be reduced to certain birds like the

Crow-Shrikes (Magpies), Kookaburras (Giant Kingfishers), Magpie

Larks, Starlings, Mynahs, etc., and such common birds which have

been able to adapt themselves to the altered conditions.


It would be presumptuous to make all these deductions from my

own observations, but I talked with many eminent ornithologists and

bird protectionists and from them as well as from my own limited

observations, I gleaned the foregoing.


Whilst appreciating every measure which is for the protection and

the preservation of the bird life, and also agreeing that there should

rightly be restrictions against the wholesale export of Australian birds,

I came up against some extremely galling and utterly ludicrous

restrictions. The most ridiculous part of the whole business was when

I was refused permission to take away with me a single pair of Ducks,

yet had I so wished I could have purchased a gun licence for 5s. and

have shot twelve Ducks per day for four and a half months,

thus making a total of over 1,600 Duck which I could have

officially slaughtered. When I mentioned this fact I was practically

told to mind my own business. Barnard’s Parrakeets were being shot

in hundreds in the district where I had been staying, but I was refused

permission to take away one pair. When I mentioned the matter of

the shooting of the Parrakeets to the official I was told it was quite legal,

and that “ an Englishman’s home was his castle ”. Quite what that had

to do with it I don’t know, but when I further argued it was again

intimated that I should mind my own business.


I naturally hoped whilst in Australia to be able to collect a few

choice Parrakeets for my own aviaries in England. My first application,

for a very modest number of protected species, was rather rudely

rebuffed by the authorities, who only allowed me to take away ten of

the very common Parrakeets which were unprotected. In this

they were powerless to prevent me, but they gave me the impression

that this was a great favour on their part. I was asked in the presence



