Curb Wanted On

Native Ng

B.O.P. Hunters

PHE cessation of tribal war amongst New Guinea High landers had had its effect on le Bird of Paradise population and le time might be close when BOP’s lust be protected from natives. As le law stands at the moment, uropeans may not take BOP; but atives who hunt with bow and tow and spears may do so freely.

Protection for the lovely birds was ivocated recently in Lae, New uinea, by Mr. Fred Shaw Mayer, ho is in charge of Sir Edward alistrom’s fauna collection at the allstrom Trust establishment at ondugl.

The pacification of the native ;oples, greater purchasing power, id the tourist with his camera, all ntribute towards the trend for ?ger and better Highlanders’ head esses.

Previously, when a headdress was mparatively small, and there was ibal warfare, natives shot only the rds in their own areas, but to y the average Highlander can am at large, and in perfect safety, to other people’s territory to shoot e birds at will.

Some natives in receipt of good wages can afford to employ another native to shoot birds for him And the publicity gained through pictured Highland headdresses in magazines throughout the world brings along the tourist willing to pay 5 - or more to the willing model with the biggest headdress.

Mr. Mayer is a naturalist, and pre-war for many years made trips to New Guinea on behalf of the British Museum and London Zoo.

The fauna collection which Sir Edward Hallstrom started vears ago has been added to until it is now very large indeed, containing well over 100 Birds of Paradise—kept in numerous aviaries, thickly planted with trees; a flock of Goura pigeons; Cassowaries; a number of Salvadore ducks, and many parrots. Also in captivity are nearly 30 tree-climbing kangaroos, which have bred suc cessfully. A Hornbill stays around the place at liberty and many ducks live on the numerous ponds.

The Salvadore ducks—the high mountain duck of New Guinea— have bred successfully in captivity at Nondugl, although they are not known to have bred in captivity anywhere else in the world.

It is a pity that this show place is so far away for the tourist to NG, and also for the coastal resi dent. Many travellers expect to see a Bird of Paradise when they go to New Guinea, just as a sightseer at Taronga Park Zoo, in Sydney, ex

pects to see a koala bear or a kangaroo.

For tourists on ships, who have little time in each port, the trip would be almost impossible. To see the place properly it would need an overnight stay, but there is no public accommodation.

However, it is hoped that Sir

Edward may some day donate some birds to the Lae Botanical Gardens —which look like becoming the biggest and finest tropical gardens in the Territory—where they can be kept in aviaries and viewed by the many visitors. At Nondugl, there has not been sufficient aviary accommodation to devote one to one pair of birds only, and as the birds are apparently coy about mating in company, they have not bred in the large aviaries.

A ribbon-tail Bird of Paradise from Mount Hagen was, however, bred at Taronga Park recently by Sir Edward, and the pair of yodelling dogs—a true wild dog of New Guinea—recently sent to Sydney from New Guinea have bred four puppies. It is hoped that permission Will be given to send some tree climbing kangaroos to Taronga Park from Nondugl soon.

Mr. Shaw Mayer pointed out that the male Bird of Paradise takes up to 5 or 6 years to acquire his full plumage, which is designed for one purpose—to attract the female.

It is quite obvious that if the older birds are shot for their plumage, the breeding process will consequently be slowed up.

ti Headmaster of the Technical Training School, Lae, New Guinea, Mr. Rea Oberg, left on the Skymaster on November 10, holidaybound for Sydney where he will

join his wife and family. During Mr. Oberg’s absence the school will be in charge of Mr. George Harrington, of the Rabaul Technical Training Centre.