130 WHITLOCK, Xotes on Birds of Shark Bay. ["^i^fgcT 



marsupials were plentiful, but were now seldom seen. The 

 Grass-Wren, I fear, has j^one, or nearly so. The Crested liell- 

 Bird will be the next to ^o. Under such circumstances, gnnmd- 

 feeders like the Shrike Thrush or Babbler have small chance <jf 

 re-establishing themselves. It is just this class of bird cats 

 seem to prefer. In our south coastal district, the Rufous Tree- 

 creeper {CUmactcris riifa) has nearly gone from the same cause. 

 Smaller birds like the Black and White Wren- Warbler (Malunis 

 Icucoptcrns) and Emu-Wren iStiplturus) seem to hold their 

 own much better. Certainly the absence of the Tit- Warblers 

 {Acanthica) is remarkable. I found them comparatively rare 

 on Peron, and they may be so in Edel Land. 



It is very difficult to account for a Black and White Wren 

 being confined to the islands of Dirk Hartog, and Barrow, so 

 much further north. On further consideration, I am inclined 

 to regard this as the survival of a species once inhabiting a con- 

 tinuous region, but now isolated by geological changes. But I 

 think it quite probable that individuals or parties of M. leucon- 

 ottis do occasionally cross the South Passage, either voluntarily 

 or nolens volens. It would have been interesting to have visited 

 both sides of the strait after the hurricane of last March to 

 see if any interchange of s]:)ecies had taken place. The wind 

 started blowing from the south-east, afterwards veering to north- 

 east. May not the traces of the feathers found by Mr. Carter 

 and myself in the plumage of Malurus leucopterus point to an 

 occasional interbreeding with immigrant M. leuconotns? 



Finally, I must thank Mr. Carter for pointing out the slip I 

 made in the trivial name of Circus assimilis. I simply trans- 

 lated the Latin word assimilis = allied, which is a permissible 

 inter])retation. 1 know the Allied or Swamj) Hawk, Circus 

 (/ouldi to my cost in half-grown chickens. It breeds near my 

 home. 



My notes were written at the Denham Hotel, whilst the facts 

 were fresh in my memory, and without reference to Check-list 

 or other authority. In these days of Bolshevistic nomenclature, 

 this may have been a rash thing to do. I use the term in its 

 literal meaning of "extreme," but with its attendant atmosphere 

 of confusion. After being out of touch with European orni- 

 tholog)' for more than twenty years, I was quite at a loss on 

 reading Mr. D. A. Bannerman's interesting paper in The Jbis 

 on the birds of the Canary Islands, to identify the various species 

 mentioned, so chopi)ed about and interchanged have the names 

 become. It was only the trivial names that saved the situation. 



In the same journal, another writer, to make his meaning clear, 

 has had to reinforce the trinomial with a fourth name, accom- 

 panied by a mathematical sign. We are getting on. 



I have written the foregoing notes in my tent over one thous- 

 and miles from home. If I have unwittingly misquoted Mr. 

 Carter this must be my excuse. I had no note-book or Emu 

 to refer to. 



