South Australia - Flora and Fauna

Marsupials and Mammals

"Domestication of the Kangaroo" is in the Register,
2 January 1851, page 3d,
"Kangaroo Farming" in the Advertiser on
10 July 1886, page 6f,
3 August 1886, page 3g,
5 March 1894, page 4g,
"Protecting Kangaroos" on
16 February 1892, page 7b.

A kangaroo hunt is reported in the Observer,
20 January 1855, page 5h,
23 June 1866, page 8b,
Register,
25 July 1862, page 2h,
Express,
11 May 1878, page 3e.
Sketches of a kangaroo hunt are in the Pictorial Australian in
October 1881, page 161.
A photograph of kangaroo hunting by motor car is in the Chronicle,
29 April 1916, page 28; also see
Observer,
11 September 1926, page 32.

An article on the Diprotodon australis is in the Observer,
31 December 1864, page 7e; also see
14 January 1865, page 4h (supp.),
18 and 25 February 1865, pages 5b and 7f for information on excavations at Coffin Springs.

"Wombats - How to Catch Them" is in the Register,
10 July 1866, page 3g,
"How to Kill Wombats" is in the Chronicle,
28 September 1878, page 13b.

"Fossils in the Far North" is in the Register,
4 April 1867, page 2f.
Fossils "north of Port Augusta" are discussed in the Observer,
6 April 1867, page 3c (supp.).

The manufacture of "kangaroo sausages" by Mr Edwards, a butcher in Hindley Street, is reported upon in the Observer,
28 October 1865, page 4c (supp.).

"What To Do With Our Kangaroos" is in the Chronicle,
25 July 1868, page 6a.

"How to Kill Wombats" is in the Chronicle,
28 September 1878, page 13b.

"The Extinct Mammals of Australia" is in the Observer,
5 July 1879, page 19c,
Register,
24 May 1893, page 4h.

"How Are Wallabies to be Destroyed?" is in the Observer,
11 February 1882, page 11c,
Register,
9 and 22 February 1882, pages 6f and 2d (supp.).

"Preservation of the Kangaroo Skin Trade" is in the Observer,
23 March 1889, page 10a.

"A Degrading Spectacle [a kangaroo chase]" is in the Register,
12 December 1887, page 4g.

"Mammals in the Neighbourhood of Adelaide" is in the Register,
17 November 1890, page 3f,
Observer,
13 September 1890, page 41e,
Register,
17 November 1890, page 3f,
22 November 1890, page 42c,
Register,
17 November 1890, page 3f,
"A Word for the Kangaroo" on
20 August 1891, page 4f.
The protection of kangaroos is discussed on
22 January 1892, page 4d and
native game on
3 October 1893, pages 4g-6g,
Observer,
30 January 1892, page 9b,
20 February 1892, page 11b.

"A Word for the Kangaroo" is in the Register,
20 August 1891, page 4f.

"Protecting Native Game" is in the Register,
3 October 1893, pages 4g-6g.

"Close Season for Kangaroos" in the Chronicle,
8 August 1896, page 18b,
"The Doomed Marsupial" in the Register,
25 April 1903, page 4h.

"Lover of Wild Nature - Mr S. Dixon's Parting Words" is in the Register,
20 September 1911, page 13c.

"Saving the Kangaroo" is in the Register,
17 November 1909, page 6d,
"Protecting Native Animals" in the Advertiser,
20 June 1913, page 8f.

"How is the Kangaroo Born?" is in the Register,
8 and 13 January 1921, pages 8a and 9h,
"Marsupial Birth" on
8 August 1924, page 8e.

"Close of Mammal Age Imminent" is in the Observer,
15 September 1923, page 50a.

"Our Vanishing Mammals" is in the Register,
27 August 1924, page 8c.

"Hunting Kangaroos" is in the Register,
2 August 1924, page 11b,
28 April 1925, pages 6d-10b,
"Our Vanishing Mammals" on
27 August 1924, page 8c,
"Kangarooing - Why the Lessees Object" on
29 May 1926, page 15g.

"Kangaroo Massacre - Incident of the Early Days" is in The Mail,
6 June 1925, page 9e; also see
Observer,
26 March 1927, page 9e.

"The Massacre of the Koala" is in the Observer,
20 August 1927, page 60a.

Flora and Fauna - Choose again

Mice, Snakes and Rats

"Australian Serpents" is in the Register,
21 April 1847, page 4a.

"Snake Charming - A Memory of 1861" is in the Express,
22 May 1913, page 4b.

"The Snake Hunter" of East Wellington is discussed in the Observer,
4, 11 and 18 May 1861, pages 2f (supp.), 4g and 4h,
15 June 1861, page 2h (supp.).
"Catching Snakes - The Perils of the Hunter" is in the Advertiser,
17 April 1908, page 10g.

The Snake Hunter

Taken from Geoffrey H. Manning - A Colonial Experience

Of all the 'entertainments' I have seen over the past seventy years the most bazaar was that presented by Joseph Shires, the snake hunter. Early in April 1861 about 100 persons assembled at the Norfolk Arms, Rundle Street, to witness the effects of the application of an alleged antidote to the poison of a snake.

Mr Shiers commenced by requesting silence from the company and withdrew from within his guernsey shirt a snake about four feet long which he allowed to crawl about his arms, face and neck. Two other snakes were then produced and, in order that there might be no suspicions of collusion or imposture, Dr Gosse and Mr Brenton were requested to act as umpires.

The snake hunter then requested the umpires, and any other gentleman so disposed, to examine the mouths of the snakes to convince themselves that they had poisonous fangs. Dr Gosse stated distinctly that they had not, but another gentleman seemed to think they had. Two fowls were then brought into the room and the operator caused both of them to be bitten in the comb by one of the reptiles and then applied his antidote to one of them selected by the umpires.

Unfortunately, however, for his reputation, both of the fowls survived. This produced considerable dissatisfaction and it was therefore determined to repeat the experiment upon two other fowls. Fresh umpires were also appointed by the company consisting of Messrs Peterswald, G.W. Francis and J. Kiteley of Hindley Street.

The new contingent of fowls were then subjected to the same perations and with the same result! The snake-hunter affirmed, positively, his belief that the fowl to which the antidote had not been applied would die before dawn the next morning, but the audience seemed almost unanimously of the opinion that they had been hoaxed.

Mr Kiteley guaranteed, at the request of the audience and of Mr Shires himself, to take the fowls under his charge and to exhibit both of them at his shop the next morning, dead or alive. I might add that the fowls were dissimilar in appearance, while Mr Shires was, in appearance and in manners, a very fair specimen of an Australian bushman - Indifferent as to his personal appearance, rather taciturn than loquacious, extremely cautious in his movements when handling his reptiles, blunt, yet candid, in his replies when interrogated, irritable and peevish to excess when assailed by the slightest banter, yet apparently very grateful when allowed to have 'a fair field and no favour'.

To the chagrin of Mr Shires the next day presented a startling development - the animal to which the antidote was not applied was alive and well while the anticipated survivor was defunct! Mr Shires asserted that he would be able to convince the public as to the efficacy of his antidote 'if administered under more favourable circumstances.' He also expressed surprise at his failure.

A few nights later at the same venue, Messrs Fiveash, Sanders and Brenton were appointed as umpires and the same ritual of venom injection into two sacrificial fowls was followed. Both of the animals were then taken to the Globe Inn, the umpires undertaking to make arrangements for their overnight confinement.

An early morning inspection showed that the fowl not dosed with the serum had died, while the other was still drawing breath, but, unfortunately, it had symptoms which rendered it doubtful if it would ultimately recover, Indeed, Mr Shires seemed to think that it 'would gradually droop and die.'

Mr Shiers was next heard of three weeks later when he was reported extolling his anti-venom to the residents of Wellington on the River Murray.

"Snake Bites and Their Anecdotes" is in the Express,
31 January 1867, page 3d; also see
9 September 1868, page 2b,
"Snake Poisoning and Antidotes" in the Register,
15 January 1868, page 2f; also see
19 December 1868, page 2f and
Chronicle,
12 September 1868, page 6f,
Advertiser,
24 December 1870, page 3b,
Register,
23 June 1875, page 6f,
Chronicle,
17 January 1891, page 5a,
Register,
23 November 1898, page 4f,
3 December 1898, page 10h,
Advertiser,
10 December 1904, page 8f.

"Snake Poison and Injection Ammonia" is in the Observer,
28 January 1871, page 3d,
"Snake Stories" on
1 January 1876, page 8b,
Register,
28 December 1875, page 5c,
Chronicle,
19 and 26 November 1904, pages 11b and 13b;
photographs of a snake-catcher "at work" are in the Chronicle,
7 December 1912, page 32.

"Snake Bites" is in the Register,
15 December 1908, page 7a.

"Peeps at Nature - Snakes" is in the Register on
23 April 1918, page 7c,
31 May 1918, page 8g,
"Tiger Snakes and Death Adders" is in the Advertiser,
21 November 1931, page 10h.

"Something About Snakes" is in the Chronicle,
15 February 1934, page 14.

"Snakes in the Grass" is in the Advertiser,
20 February 1935, page 14d.

Advice on rat eradication is in the Register, 16 April 1878, page 7a:

Register

"Memories of Mice" is in the Register on 26 February 1917, page 6e:

Small pigs have been chewed up in their sleep. Dogs have lost most of their bark, and roosters are afraid to crow lest they should attract attention and worse things come upon them...
(Register, 23 March 1917, pages 6e-7d.)

The old order of things has been reversed, and now the mice not only play when the cats are away, but actually play with the cats... The unfortunate cats have become so scared they now, whenever possible, roost in trees, and have taken to eating grass and noxious weeds...
(Register, 9 April 1917, page 4f; also see
23 and 30 April 1917, pages 6d and 6f,
13 June 1917, page 6d,
4 August 1917, page 12d for further humorous comment.)

A mouse plague is described in the Chronicle,
12 July 1890, page 6f,
Observer,
14 June 1890, page 32c,
Register,
28 April 1904, page 7h,
Advertiser,
4 October 1905, page 9g,
Register,
7 May 1917, page 6h.
Observer,
31 March 1917, page 5b,
28 April 1917, page 31b,
5, 19 and 26 May 1917, pages 14b-25 (photos), 29a and 29d,
9 and 16 June 1917, pages 4d and 28e,
7 July 1917, page 29e,
Advertiser,
18 April 1917, page 6h,
Express,
18 April 1917, page 3e.
The News,
22 April 1932, page 1f.

"Mice and Men" is in the Register,
14 April 1917, page 8d; also see
7 May 1917, page 6h.

"The Mouse Plague - Method of Extermination" is in The Mail,
2 June 1917, page 7a; also see
21 May 1932, page 2d.

"Rats and Mice a Menace to Health and Property" is in The News,
6 October 1933, page 6d.

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