216 Letters, Extracts fi'om Correspondence, Notices, ^x. 



" I was about to take a short trip to Burmali ; but as our 



friend J is appointed to a station on the Sitang River, in 



Tenasserim, I start in a steamer in the course of a couple of 

 days or so, and mean to accompany him at least as far as 

 Maulmein/' 



The subjoined extract from the " Argus ^' of October 25th, 

 1860, gives the most recent account of the progress of the 

 experiment of the introduction of English Singing-birds into 

 Australia, which has recently been undertaken at INIelbourne. 

 It will be observed that the Httle immigrants have adopted the 

 Australian seasons, and begun to nest in October ! : — 



" The English birds at the Botanic Gardens are now all in a 

 bustle. They seem perfectly awake to the character of the 

 season. The little Warblers are busy in nest-building, and per- 

 forming all the other tender offices which mark their proceedings 

 at spring time. The Larks are already multiplying, and the 

 Thrushes have nests both in the aviary and in the open air. 

 The Starlings and Blackbirds which were brought out by the 

 ' Lincolnshire ' and the ' Essex ' occupy a building in the Botanic 

 Gardens' reserve, which ie usually devoted, in the winter, to the 

 accommodation of the Alpacas and other quadrupeds. Here 

 they will remain until their plumage — lost or disordered on the 

 voyage — is restored, when they will be removed to the aviary, 

 and thence to the open air. A similar house holds a number of 

 Thrushes that are nest-building in the orange and Japanese 

 spindle-trees which are placed there. In the aviary the same 

 interesting process is going on. There the Goldfinch, the 

 Linnet, and the Java Sparrow have nests, as well as the Thrush 

 and the Quail — due care, however, being taken for the separa- 

 tion of the peaceable from the pugnacious birds. The Pheasants 

 are engaged in egg-laying, and for the work of incubation the 

 assistance of some Bantam fowls has been secured. The whole 

 of the arrangements for the preservation of the birds which 

 have been sent from England, and the propagation here of the 

 feathered tribes of the old country — thanks to the indefatigable 

 Dr. Mueller — are as complete as can be desired." 



