WHOLESALE DESTRUCTION OF PHEASANTS.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 803, 9 August 1877, Page 3

WHOLESALE DESTRUCTION OF PHEASANTS.

PROTiipyiON TO HENS. At a meeting of the Acclimatisation Society, hold m Auckland on Monday, Mr.'S Morrin thought it was necessary to do something to .prevent the wholesale destruction of the game that was being accomplished by the indiscriminate shooting of th ■ hen birds. If something were not done people would not continue to take out a license, for the reason that soon' there would be no pheasants for shooting. The fact was hens wore being shot down wholesale. Ten hen birds were being shot down, for one cook. Poachers and others went round to the hotels and sold hen birds m large quantity. - He had heard of a dealer who had not so\d a single brace of pheasants to hotels, and the reason given for that was that unlicensed persons, and even some who were probably licensed, sold hen phe isants m quantity, thus showing m some degree the extent of the dostrucMo<t that was going on. He had heard of . a person who 'had brought to a wellknown dealer a bag of hen pheasants to sell. When the dealer said he could not buy ' hens,' the person said. ' All right; I will soon sell them,, shortly after bringing back his bag empty, and saying that he' had sold the contents.. The only way of preventing this wholesale destruction would be by making it an offence for any person to have a dead hen pheasant m his possession — The. President thought it would be a very serious matter if this wholesale destruction should . continue. There wa« not th* least doubt thit the sport whioh these game animals affordel brought -several gentlemen from the neighbouring colonies to this colony, and not only did. they come for sport, but some of them hnd already entered into negotiations for the purchase of estates here, and would probably live for a portion of the year m New Zealand. There had been several 'cases of suoh intentions having been formed by persons of wealth, and enterpiise. who could do much by coming to live a portion of the year m this country. — Mr Bur Stow : Certainly the birds are nothing like what they wera a. few jears ago, and they have become co .nparatively few m some districts.— -The President : A diminution of the number of birds must be expeoted, as the native covering is being- taken away, and graes piddooks extended, with pos- I aibly only a wire fence between them. This would have the effect : thst the -birds would go' further away where there is more shelter— such as fern. But there was reason to believe that persons pro* fesiing to be sportsmen had been reckless, ; and the Council had received a report that persona had begun shooting three weaks before the season. Tha 18th clause of tbo Act appeared to over all that was required by the case. : Every person who shall tell or offer for sale or oxpose for salo any dead hen pheasant, and every holder of a license to sell game who shall have m his posaersio" a dead hen pheasant." — Mr Morrin : The difficulty was io get a conviction under the Ace as it stood, persona killed hen pheasants, brought them into town, and soil them. So lot g as there .raa any question abont the meaning of the clause there would be uo diminution of the destruction.' He could see but one remedy ; that was to make it an offence for any one whether he had a license to shoot or to sell or have dead hen pheasants m their posaesuion. — The President : The insertion of the words " to kill or" after the words " every holder of a license," would probably give greater certainty m the construction of the language of the Act. I believe the Aut provides a remedy as it is, but it a round about A°ay. This would certainly renvive all doubt. On'he motion of Mr S Morrin, seconded by Mr ft 0 Baratow, it was resolved that the amendment suggested by the President Bhould be recommended to the promoters of the amended bill, now before the General Assembly.