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| A Stock Pigeon (Columba livia), the preferred target of sporting shooters, so likely kept and bred by Gunning devotees of this popular amusement. If so, probably the unwitting carriers and victims themselves of a deadly poison. Photo Wikipedia. |
Perils Facing the Late Colonial Gunning Gourmet
In March 1880 there was scarcely a single pigeon to be found around Gunning. We know this because a paucity of pigeons forced leading citizen and sporting event impresario, Mr W Grovenor, to initiate the district’s historic inaugural magpie shooting sweep stake tournament then. Two earlier posts "Gunning's First Ever Magpie Shooting Contest a Banging Success" and "Grovenor Street Gunning - A New Front in the History Wars" tells you more than enough about this.
Why were pigeons in such short supply? The following piece of contemporary investigative journalism sheds new light on this question.
Goulburn Herald and Chronicle 7 April 1879:
Signal and Providential Escape from Poisoning – On Friday morning Mr. W. Grovenor, whilst in his yard, observed one of his dogs smelling at something which had fallen from the roof of the mill-house. He drove the dog off and found a dead pigeon. Almost immediately he saw another fall from the house. His first thought was that the birds had fallen by the action of some boy’s catapult. The birds continued to come down until half-a-dozen were picked up.
Mr Grovenor had two of the birds plucked, and found some grains of small shot in the bodies, but no signs of blood. He sent the birds to Mrs Grovenor to be dressed, intending to have pigeon pie for dinner next day. Mr W R Reynolds happened to call at Mrs Grovenor’s on some small business, and found Mrs Grovenor in the act of plucking one of the birds. She told him how the birds had come to hand, thinking of course that they had been shot. Mr Reynolds cautioned her against making use of them, especially as there was not the slightest sign of the one she was then handling having been shot.
The whole secret came out in a short time – a discovery which saved the lives (in all probability) of several persons. The fact that two favorite dogs belonging to Mr Grovenor having died suddenly in that morning is quite sufficient proof as to the strength of the poison. The dogs it appears ate a part of what had been thrown into the yard after the birds had been cleaned.
The whole matter originated as follows:- Mr Grovenor’s pigeons, as well as some others belonging to certain parties in the town, took up their quarters about the Wesleyan church and found their way up under the eaves of the projecting roof. There they had their young safely housed, and could not be got at. This proved a constant annoyance to the congregation during divine service. To put a stop to this nuisance, the steward caused poisoned wheat to be placed on the spouting along the eaves, without ever thinking that such a result as the above would arise.
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| The Gunning Uniting Church in November 2017. Officially opened in April 1876 as the new Gunning Methodist Church, it was just three years old at the time of this incident. Photo Bob Spiller |
Media Protects the Rich and Powerful of Gunning?
Two innocent much loved dogs dead from poison, two prominent citizens luckily saved at the last moment from the same fate and a major sporting event facing cancellation. An important public interest story. But this otherwise excellent contemporary report is strangely silent on who was personally responsible. Yes, “the steward” is mentioned. But surely the public would want to know his name?
The Gunning Methodist Church "Jubilee Souvenir" of April 1926 gives us some vital clues about this mystery. The Rev E J Rodd's “Recollections of 1877” in this publication tells us “Very gratefully I remember those associated with me in my work – local preachers, stewards and others – men of outstanding qualities, good preachers and good businessmen. Let me name some of them: Henry Saxby, W. R. Reynolds…"
The Jubilee Souvenir also reveals that from 1878 to 1883 the same Messrs Reynolds and Saxby named above were the only two Circuit Stewards. Both were ideally placed to help police, health inspectors and the media identify who rashly ordered this dangerous poisoning. While my money is on Mr Reynolds, praised as the saviour of the Grovenors in the article, Mr Saxby remains in the frame as well. We cannot say with certainty from this distance which of them was responsible. Undoubtedly though, the paper's investigative journalist knew the perpetrator but chose not to name him - perhaps not wanting to embarrass a friend or maybe reluctant to take on one of Gunning's rich and influential elite.
It is also of interest that a Mr R Reynolds, who I believe to be the son of Mr W R Reynolds, was the prize winner in the Open Sweep at the live magpie shooting tournament held in the absence of pigeons.
Does the Pigeon Problem Persist Today?
Happily, today's parishioners are not troubled by raucous pigeons during their devotions. The church has very effective mesh under its eaves which should prevent pigeons or any other avian pest gaining entry. And a good thing it is too because, according to near neighbours of the church, Brett and Nina Young, a surprising number of nearby houses are plagued by starlings.
Can History Help Us With Gunning's Starling Infestation Today?
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| Starlings are excellent mimics. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart kept one as a pet and was delighted to hear it singing part of his Piano Concerto No 17 in G Major. This appealing and useful skill does not outweigh the harm they cause. Picture Wikipedia. |
People in Warrataw Street and environs can thank the Victorian Acclimatization Society for the starlings with which they share their homes today. The society brought starlings to the colony around 1857 to eat caterpillars which were making life impossible for market gardeners. Acclimatization societies in other states followed later but the Victorian importations would have been enough.
It is strange that these people, mainly of English origin, saw no harm in the starling. Efficient omnivores, they will dispose of friends and foes of agriculture alike as well as having a liking for soft fruits in particular. From 1566 onwards, in the home country of the acclimatizers, the law defined starlings as vermin and offered bounties of 1d "for every 12 stares heads". Although they were not ranked a major pest in Tudor times they had certainly become so with the emergence of modern agricultural methods from the 1830s onwards. So, there were clear warning signs that introducing these English pests would end in tears.
Starling Control Techniques from History
Are there any tried and true starling control strategies that history can help us with today? Here are a few.
There are records of payments being made for powder and shot for "shooting starlings in the church" and "killing birds in the church" in various English parishes in the 1700s. Boswell, of "Boswell's Life of Johnson" fame shot and ate several, declaring them to be delicious. Something to consider here - perhaps a new local culinary specialty to feature on the menus at our two leading cafes?
In the mid 17th century Dutch people harvested starlings for food, using specially made earthenware pots hung on house walls in which the birds nested. That could work well today with designer pots on Warrataw Street walls adding to the attractions of the neighbourhood.
The ancient practice and kiddies' favourite of bird liming could be worth a whirl again. In essence, this involves coating tree limbs and bushes with a sticky substance which glued birds to the spot when they landed after being attracted by a lure. You then dispatched and disposed of the trapped birds as you saw fit.
The Duke of Wellington, when Prime Minister to Queen Victoria, famously suggested sparrow hawks as the best solution to sparrow infestations in the Crystal Palace. While we have a lot of community organisations already, is there not room for the new Gunning Falconry Association?
Sources:
- Silent Fields by Roger Lovegrove - a thorough coverage of England's war on vermin and wildlife from medieval times to today. It also has clear instructions on how to make and apply bird lime which Warrataw Street residents may find useful.
- They All Ran Wild by Eric Rolls - an excellent account of the introduction of feral pests to Australia and our attempts to control them.
- Was Beethoven a Birdwatcher by David Turner - a collection of short quirky essays looking at birds in history and culture.
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