Bird-farming. Announcement! Made by the Council of Gum Gooloo Gum Jublet. Dated the Year of Dying Plants.* People of Gum Gooloo Gum Jublet, you are killing the plants of our city with your predictable bird-farming. Perhaps you do not see the connection. Let us put it plainly. 1. Many Persons re-set their bird-traps daily. Other Persons re-set their bird-traps less often, and dead birds are left sitting in the trees. All persons tend to re-set their traps in THE SAME PLACE EVERY TIME. 2. Birds are not fools. They have learnt the locations of the traps. It is their observation that Gum Gooloo Gum Jublet is littered with trees dealing DEATH. As a consequence, the birds have left our city to live in the countryside. 3. Perons who observed the absence of the birds were heard to GRUMBLE but they said, "We still have our plants to feed us." Now behold, the plants are dying. Birds used to transport the honey-pollen-powder from one flower to another, but now that we have no birds, the plants CANNOT REFRESH THEIR LIVES. One plant dies and it is not replaced by another. 4. We the council have called a BAN ON BIRD FARMING. The people of Gum Gooloo Gum Jublet will POLLENATE THE FLOWERS THEMSELVES WITH COG-BRUSHES until such time as the birds return to the city. WHEN THE BIRDS HAVE RETURNED the following measures WILL BE PUT IN PLACE by the people and MAINTAINED FOR FEAR OF ANOTHER CATASTROPHE! 1. A few families will be designated 'Bird-farmers.' They will live on the outskirts of the city. No other person or family is to farm birds from now on. 2. These bird-farmers will roam through the city before dawn every day. They will set their traps in different trees every day. Every day they will return to their traps regularly to remove trapped birds. WE WILL HAVE NO MORE CORPSES ROTTING IN OUR TREES! 3. They will smear the sweet-smelling sticky gum on the branches. They will arrange the extra honey-bait. They will hang the mirrors in which the birds may see themselves when they are trapped. Upon seeing itself each trapped bird will think that it is accompanied by a companion. It will sing sweetly to calm its companion. Our birds have kind natures. Other birds will be attracted to the song. The experienced bird catcher will know for what length of time the bird should be left to sing before they move in to remove it from its branch. No other person is to set the trap we have herein described, OR ANY OTHER BIRD-ENTRAPMENT DEVICE. 4. The modest number of traps should not cause panic amongst the birds. They will remain with us. 5. ONLY members of these families are to sell birds for food. Whether they are cooked or not at the time of sale does not matter. 6. These families are: the Gentles, the Books, the Hands, the Mores and the Consequences.** BY SUGGESTION OF THE COUNCIL! * one hundred and eighty years ago. ** The list has expanded to include the Runnings, the Beetles, the Hellos, the Yell-Weevils and the Foot-Clappers.