°go6 J Australasian Ornithologists' Union. 1 29 



Camt-Outing on Kangaroo Island. 



At the termination of the session 22 members and friends* 

 enjoyed a profitable' working camp-outing for 10 days (14th to 

 24th October), on Kangaroo Island. The expedition was con- 

 veyed to and from Port to the island by the steamer Governor 

 Miisgravc (Capt. P. Weir), through the courtesy of the Marine 

 Board of South Australia (president, Mr. Arthur Searc}'). The 

 officers of the Marine Board, by every possible means in their 

 power, did what they could to further the success of the expedi- 

 tion. Members were handsomely treated, as guests, not as 

 passengers. 



Kangaroo Island, which is about 80 miles long by about 30 

 miles broad, lies across the entrance of St. Vincent Gulf, South 

 Australia, and, excepting perhaps Melville Island, in the north, 

 is the largest island adjacent to the mainland of Australia. 



Flinders discovered Kangaroo Island, landing near its eastern 

 extremity on 22nd March, 1802. Here his party killed a number 

 of kangaroos, which were welcomed as fresh food, after four 

 months' privations. The explorer wrote : — ■' In gratitude for so 

 seasonable a supply, I name this southern land Kangaroo 

 Island." 



Recently Kangaroo Island was brought prominently under 

 notice through the deplorable wreck of the LocJi VcnnacJiar 

 somewhere off the south coast. The island is of great interest 

 to the naturalist, because it was formerly the home of a small 

 dark-coloured Emu, now, unhap[)ily, extinct. When the French 

 expedition under Baudin explored Kangaroo Island in 1803, 

 three Emus were captured and taken alive to Paris. A pair 

 was sent to the residence of the Empress Josephine, and the 

 third bird to the Jardin des Plantes. Two of the Emus lived 

 for nearly 20 years. One was stuffed, and the other mounted as 

 a skeleton. The remains of the third specimen unaccountably 

 disappeared, but they were discovered in a singular manner 

 years afterwards in the Zoological Museum, P'lorence. Possibly 

 it was in the faint hopes of finding remains of the Black Emu 

 and other " missing links " (insular localities have a peculiar 

 fascination for the collecting naturalist) which induced the Union 

 to fix its working camp-out this year in this locality. 



On Saturday morning, 14th October, 1905, the party, under 

 the leadership of Mr. J. W. Mellor, embarked at Henley Beach 

 on the steamer Governor Miisgravc. The run down the Gulf 

 occupied the better part of the day, and it was not until after 



* The followin|f are their names : — Mrs. A. J. Campbell, Miss E. Campbell, Miss 

 A. Dethridge, Miss B. Mellor, Miss W. Mellor, Miss M. Ashby, Mr. J. \V. Mellor 

 (leader), Mr. J. F. Mellor, Mr. P. W. xMellor, Dr. Geo. Home, Mr. A. G. Camp- 

 bell, Mr. A. J. Campbell, Mr. A Mattingley, Mr. J. A. Mill, Mr. V. P. (Jodfrey, Mr. 

 E. Ashby, Mr. M. Symonds Clark, Mr. O. Crompton, Mr. R. Crompton, Mr. D. 

 H. Martin, Mr. A. Caw, and Mr. A. G. Marchin (cook) 



