^°',g,^'-] Forgotten Feathers. ' 257 



crustacean, i reptile, and out of the 12 plates, I think 9 are 

 original descrii)tions. What is now plate i. has No. 2 in the 

 bottom corner, and some printing erased ; })late iv. has No. i in 

 the bottom corner, and also has something erased ; these are the 

 only two plates without a Latin name. Probably the author 

 changed his idea before actually publishing. Plate ii., the first 

 mammal plate, has " i " in the top right-hand corner ; all the 

 others have their correct numbers. 



In the foregoing I can speak with certainty only of the "Botany" ; 

 for the " Zoology " I have gone on external evidence, as I only have 

 one wrapper stating what that part contained. 



.\ FRENCH EXPLORER S AUSTRALIAN BIRD LIST. 



Bv Ernest Scott, Melbourne. 

 Captain Nicholas Baudin was the commander of the French 

 expedition despatched to Australia by Napoleon in 1800. He died 

 at Mauritius before the return of his ships to Europe, and the 

 history of his explorations was afterwards written by the naturalist, 

 Francois Peron. Hitherto it was not known that Baudin himself 

 wrote any account of the voyage, but researches made recently at 

 the Archives Nationales, Paris, at the instance of an Australian 

 student, have brought to light an interesting long letter, sent from 

 Port Jackson, in November, 1802, to the Minister of Marine. In 

 this document Baudin gives an account of his explorations in 

 southern Tasmania, and includes a few notes on flora and fauna. 

 His observations on birds may not be very striking, but, as they 

 record the species seen by an early navigator, they have a certain 

 \'alue for ornithologists. The birds mentioned in the passage 

 translated below from the manuscript copy were seen by Baudin 

 at Bruni Island, Frederick Henry Bay, Maria Island, and Schouten 

 Island, which were the ])rincipal anchorages of the British ships 

 while engaged upon their explorations in Tasmanian waters. He 

 wrote : — 



•' The species of sea-birds, without being remarkably varied, 

 could, nevertheless, become a resource of an establishment at the 

 outset. The Black Swan, the Pelican, the Albatross, the Cor- 

 morant, the Duck, the Teal, the Yellow-headed Booby ('le fou 

 blanc a tete jaune '), the ' Goueland gris ' (?), the Pied Oyster- 

 catcher ('la Pie de Mer a pieds et bee rouge'), the Sandpiper 

 ('la Becassine '), and the Seagulls are not to be overlooked. The 

 Swan, however, appeared to us to deserve preference over all the 

 others, independently of its size. Its flesh is delicate and agreeable 

 when preserved in brine. But it is difficult to approach. The 

 most favourable time for the pursuit of this bird is the moulting 

 season, when it can only fly with difficulty, and when it can be 

 captured while swimming, notwithstanding that it can acquit itself 

 well even then. The Duck and the Teal are, after the Swan, the 

 birds whose flesh make the best eating. The Cormorant and the 



