ENG-1959 — Page 378

FAUNA AND FLORA

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six inches, has swallow-tailed wings, and is mostly soft silvery green in colour.

Local Societies and Exhibits. There are two local societies con- cerned with the Colony's fauna. One is The Hong Kong Natural History Society whose objects are to facilitate and encourage the study of natural history, particularly in Hong Kong; the other is The Hong Kong Bird Watching Society whose main objects are to facilitate and encourage the study of the birds of Hong Kong. The mammal enclosures and aviaries in the Botanic Gardens contain some of the species of mammals and birds among the Colony's fauna, besides certain other non-indigenous species.

Protection of Fauna. The Wild Birds and Wild Mammals Protection Ordinance, 1954, affords legal protection to all wild birds other than game birds, for which there are close seasons, and vermin. It also protects three of the rarer mammals and pro- vides a close season for deer. There are seven wild life sanctuaries, one of which is the whole of Hong Kong Island. Honorary game wardens assist in the enforcement of the Ordinance,

During the year the Ordinance was amended to provide for the appointment of paid game wardens on the staff of the Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry who became the licensing authority for the issue of game licences. The greatest threat to the wild life of Hong Kong probably lies in the continued prevalence of trapping and netting, particularly of birds, and the destruction of the habitats of both birds and mammals by building development and public works schemes.

FLORA

It is not possible to make any true distinction between the trees of Hong Kong and those of the adjacent southern part of Kwangtung Province. Among the principal trees found in the Colony are pine, Chinese Banyan and camphor, to which, since the area came under British administration, have been added a large number of others, of which the most commonly seen are Casuarina, Eucalyptus and Flamboyant.

The principal locally-grown fruits include laichee, lungngan, wong pei, loquat, pomelo, tangerine, banana, papaya, pineapple, custard-apple, guava and Chinese varieties of plum and pear. Of