^°'g^^^-] About Members. 35 



About Members. 



Mr. Richard C. M'Gregor, Ornithological Collector to the 

 Bureau of Science, Manila, Philippine Islands, has returned to 

 his duties after a well-earned term of furlough in America. 



A POST-CARD, dated Vancouver, 9/4/06, has been received from 

 Mr. Ed. Degen, F.Z.S., bearing the following : — " Westward, ho ! 

 to Japan and Northern Siberia, returning vz'd Alaska and here 

 to New York by November." Mr, Degen's friends will wish 

 him every success in this adventurous collecting tour. His last 

 African trip to Uganda was a thorough success, the British 

 Museum alone benefiting to the extent of at least 50 new types 

 of animals, 



Mr, J. C. M'Lean, M,B.O.U., New Zealand, whose interesting 

 article on the Fern-Bird appears in this issue, has kindly 

 promised further field observations on N.Z. avifauna. He is at 

 present most favourably situated for field work in a large tract 

 of virgin bush-land on the East Coast of the North Island, 

 where bird life is still very abundant, and where he is able to 

 observe it in the same conditions as existed in the days of Capt, 

 Cook. Mr. M'Lean finds CertJiiparns albicapillus (Whitehead) 

 and Miro aiistralis (Wood-Robin) — species considered to be all 

 but extinct — common. Another bird, Antlwrnis inelanura 

 (Bell-Bird) — supposed to be lost to the North Island — is fairly 

 common. He has also noted Creadion carunculatus (Saddle- 

 back), while AcantJiidositta cJdoris (Rifleman) — the smallest of 

 N.Z. birds — is usually seen hunting amongst the scraps by the 

 camp kitchen. The only bush birds belonging to the North 

 Island avifauna not noticed by Mr. M'Lean up to the present 

 are Apteryx, Pogonornis, and Turnagra, but he may yet meet 

 with one or all of these. Of course, Huia does not extend so 

 far north, but Glaiicopis and the Psittaci are very plentiful. 



On the retirement, with the close of the 5th volume, of Mr. A. 

 J. Campbell from the post of one of the editors of TJie Emu, the 

 following letter was written to him by the secretary of the 

 Australasian Ornithologists' Union by the direction of the 

 Council : — 



" Owing to Mr, A. G. Campbell notifying his acceptance of 

 the position of honorary co-editor of TJie Emu, the Council of 

 the A.O.U. was enabled at its last meeting, definitely, though 

 regretfully, to accept your resignation as one of the honorary 

 co-editors of the The Emu. They desire me to express to you 

 the esteem in which they hold you, and to inform you that a 

 hearty vote of thanks was accorded you by them, as well as by 

 the members of the Union, for whom they stand as sponsors, 

 recognising that you have been one of the leading founders of 

 the .society, and subsequently one of the main pillars of the 



