Vol. VII 

 1907 



1 Obituary Notice. 1 1 < 



"Professor Newton was the fifth son of WiHiam Newton, of 

 Elvedon Hall, Suffolk, formerly M.P. for Ipswich, and was born 

 at Geneva on the nth of June, 1829. Educated at first by a 

 private tutor, he graduated at Cambridge in 1853, and was 

 appointed Travelling Fellow 6f Magdalene College in 1854, and 

 then visited the countries above enumerated. He was subse- 

 quently a vice-president of the Royal, I>innean, and Zoological 

 Societies, and was awarded the gold medal of the Linnean 

 Society, and in 1900 one of the Royal Society's medals. 



" I first made Professor Newton's acquaintance in 1858, on my 

 return to England from Finland, when he came to my father's 

 town house to examine the collection I had made during my 

 sojourn in Sweden and Finland, and since then he has been the 

 most constant and truest friend it has been my good fortune to 

 possess." 



Bird Observers* Club. 



The ordinary monthly meeting of the Club was held at Oxford Chambers, 

 Bourke-street, Melbourne, on 17th April, 1907. Mr. James Thompson was 

 host and chairman for the evening. An interesting paper by Mr. J. Batey, 

 of Drouin, on " The Wedge-tailed Eagle,"' was attentively listened to by 

 members, from which many interesting notes were obtained and discussed. 

 A field note from Mr. G. E. Shepherd, of Somerville, on the Black-checked 

 Falcon chasing a Pigeon was also interesting. (See Emu, vol. vii., p. 41.) 

 Mr. Christian, Kamarooka estate, Vic, contributed some notes, and 

 mentioned that although he had only been in the district a few weeks he 

 had listed o\ er a hundred species of birds Mr. A. G. Campbell showed a 

 variety of skins, including those of the Whistling Eagle, Little Plagle, Brown 

 Hawk, Black, Grey, pjlack-cheeked, and Little Falcons, Black-shouldered 

 Kite, Goshawk, and Sparrow-Hawk. Mr. J. A. Ross exhibited two mounted 

 specimens— Nankeen Kestrel and Black-cheeked Falcon — the latter a very 

 handsome male in splendid plumage. Thehon. secretary showed an instructive 

 series of eggs of various birds of prey. Mr. Mattingley's exhibits were two 

 varieties of a so-called snake — Frazers delma — and he explained that many of 

 the birds under review were partial to them as food. After the nature notes 

 were discussed, Mr. C. L. Barrett drew attention to the wholesale destruction 

 of the Black Swan on the Gippsland Lakes and elsewhere, and moved that 

 the hon. secretary write to the Inspector of F'lsheries requesting that it be 

 better protected. 



The June monthly meeting of the Bird Observers' Club was held at the 

 residence of Mr. A. J. Campbell, Armadale. Among the exhibits was a fine 

 series of New Zealand bush scenes, photographed by Mr. J. C. M'Lean, 

 depicting haunts of endemic birds, some of which are fast disappearing. A 

 unique picture by Mr. A. H. E. Mattingley was also shown — a brooding 

 Egret {Mesophoyx plumifeni) on its nest, photographed in the tree-tops at 

 close quarters. The fine heronry where the picture was taken was after- 

 wards devastated by plume-hunters for ladies' hats, the breeding season 

 notwithstanding. (See this issue, p. 65.) 



The subject for the evening being "Magpies,"' Mr. Isaac Batey, Drouin, 

 contributed a written statement roughly covering observations extending 

 over a period of 60 years. Members applauded Mr. Batey's remarks when, 

 as a practical farmer, he defended tlie Mag|)ie (G\iii7iorhina) as a bird 

 undoubtedly beneficial to mankind, although he admitted it took grain 



