Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-08-11

who wishes to preserve his waterfowl
may have any suitable lake or swamp
proclaimed a sanctuary where not even
the owner is permitted at any time to
fire a shot. The fact that the state Of
Victoria especially is spotted" with such
sanctuaries has done more than anything
else to maintain the game. The birds
come to them in thousands soon after
the opening Of the shooting season. to
filter out again in smaller focks and so
provide sport In discretion.
Other wild duck which come to the
sportsmau's bag are teal. pink-eared
twidgeon), shoveler (blue wing, white
eyed (hardheads) and freckled or monkey
duck. Building largely in the high hol-
low spouts of duted eucalyptus in order
to protect their nests from the raidng
dingo or wild native dog, the black duck.
wood duck, and teal, especially, find that
IL serves them very well now against
that other killer the fox, which has taken
the place OF the dingo.
THE BLACK SWAN rs
TYPICAL WATER BIRD.
The black swan, emblem of the wide
West Australian state. is Australia's
typical water bird, frequenting sea In
let's as well as inland swamps and lakes,
In focks often numbering thousands.
Too rank for table use It is not counted
a game bird, and is now seldom shot
except by the freak fowler, who win try
to kill anything that flies. The swa n.
like good many other birds, has beBe-
flied by that splendid revolution in sen
tlment which has swept over Australia
in the last few years. q sentiment stimu-
lated fhrcprrh h. ~ ha
Gould League Of Bird Lovers, which cor
responds to our Audubon Society.
Swans always change ground a night
TO escape the attention Of the wedge
tailed eaGle. which Australians claim to
be the greatest eagle on earth. claim
fully justified In actual span Of wing
measurements, running up in many
specimens to eight feet. sound often
heard in the night is tbe signal trumpet
Ike note Of the swan h0cks passing over
head their white wings flashing IL the
moonlight. Banjo Patterson, one Of Aus
tralia's best known writer's OF Calloping
rhymes, says:
! hear tho clang Of the leader crying
To a laggard mate IN the rearward
flying.
AS they fade away in the darkness
dying
Where the stars are mastering one
by one.
The black swan. with its red beak.
ruby eyes and white wings. the bright
color touches in its somber slate-gray
plumage. does no harm and is a pictur-
esque life note of the water side. where
amongst reeds and PUSHES it builds its
nest OF boughs and reeds high above
water level, and lays a nest OF from four
70 geh h., t~t- p
" TO captivity and never allows 1t to
interfere with home affairs. so it is pretty
well known over the world now, the first
pair OF emigranet swans having been
taken to Batavia by the early Dutch voy-
agers-those big men Of the little ships
about two hundred years ago.
Tear in and year out the quail, the
smallest Of Australians game birds, gives
best sport for the gun, and among some
ten species the stu0ble quail is az wide
ly and as well known as our Bot White
Is known at home. The brown quail
less abundant. and resembling a small
partridge frequents the edges of scrub
and tangles, while the stuhble quail pre-
fers to range the open, grassy plains.
A days quail shooting over settlers Is
the compliment which every hospitable
landowner likes TO offer q visitor who
can handle gun. The Australian quaiis
are not strictly migratory. but their
movements are regulated by season and
supply, and in a good year they are all
over the paddocks lheldsl of Victoria and
Riyerina. fattening on seeding grasses.
As the stubble quail lays about twelve
eggs to the nest, and has more than one
brood in the year, they increase very
fast. even In thickly settled areas.
WIDE VARIETY OF
WILD PIGEONS.
The wild pigeons Of AustraUa-some
thirty species In all. rua to three types
IN the hot, subt-opical north, correspond
Ing to our Everglades, are the gorgeouSly
colored fruit pigeons. most Of which live
exclusively IN the treetops Of dense palm
tungles, feeding on Wild fruits. Some Of
them, like the rose-crowned, a we'll
known game bird OF north Australia.
rival the parrots IN their brilliant harle-
quin robes OF rose and orange. purple