210 R.A.O.U. Congress. 



1st Jan. 



from North-Western Australia, but nevertheless I think properly 

 find their place in the "Desert Section"; the "black" of the ear- 

 coverts is in this sub-species, grey. 



Conclusion. — Since drafting the foregoing I have turned 

 up the Rainfall Map of Australia as published in Mr. D. E. 

 Hutchins' work on Australian Forestiy. The great central belt 

 with a rainfall of 10 in. and under, commences inside the States 

 of Queensland and New South \\'ales, and covering a large 

 part of South and Western Australia, runs out to the coast at 

 Carnarvon and extends almost to North-West Cape, the type 

 locality of Campbell's carteri, but this species has extended 

 further north into the 20-inch rainfall belt. The East Murchison 

 form, ladasi and leilavalensis, also have their habitats within this 

 dry belt, which includes the whole of what is often termed the 

 desert ])ortion of Australia. 



The difficulty Mr. A. J. Campbell found in separating gerald- 

 toncnsis from his carteri was chiefly due to two very distinct 

 forms and several minor ones, being included under the name 

 carteri in the "H. L. White Collection." Also the artist, in the 

 beautiful figure of carteri, in The Emu, vol. III., plate xvi., has 

 failed to suggest the general modifying influence throughout the 

 plumage of the colour I have termed "Desert Buff." He cer- 

 tainly has suggested it in the central tail feathers, but actually 

 there is little of the plumage where the presence of this shade 

 is not to some extent in evidence. Of the desert forms I should 

 prefer Campbell's carteri as the type; North's bird was de- 

 scribed the same year. 



Note. — The skins referred to under my heading (1) will corre- 

 spond with Mathew's ladasi. Those under the heading (2) will 

 include carteri, Campbell, and calconi, Mathews. The leading 

 (3) includes all the variants of North's leilavalensis. As I un- 

 derstand the forms classed above under the Desert Division are 

 found in the Red Gums and other Eucalypts, in the creek beds, 

 it seems a little strange that they should have taken on the desert 

 coloration. Possibly it is due to the creek beds in these districts 

 being separated by tracts of desert, whereas further south the 

 intervening spaces are cf)\ered more or less with low scrub. 



The Annual Congress and Camp-out of 

 the R.A.O.U. 



The Annual Congress and Cami)-()ut of the R..\.(^.U. was held 

 from October 6th to 20th, in Sydney and at Lake Wallis. Twenty- 

 six delegates from the four Eastern and Southern States at- 

 tended and 23 took part in the Camp-out. In the absence of the 

 President (Mr. C. A. P.arnard), the senior Vice-President (Dr. 

 J. A. Leach) occupied the chair. 



