1 60 Australasian Ornithologists' Union. lyth'jan 



But the idea was abandoned because birds could be easily 

 observed on the hills and in the gullies quite near the city. More- 

 over, as it turned out, the unpropitious weather would have 

 rendered camping operations somewhat unpleasant. 



As Colonel Legge has stated in his " Systematic List of Tas- 

 manian Birds," the island cannot be considered rich in bird- 

 life. Two causes are apparent for this limited avifauna. First, 

 the comparative paucity of fruit-bearing flora and insect life ; 

 second, Tasmania being the terminal point of the Australian 

 " region," and separated from it by a strait, does not come in 

 for its share of distribution of species, nor its proportion of 

 northern migrants, which do not wander beyond the southern 

 parts of the mainland. 



Including all orders and " accidental " birds, there are just 

 upon 200 species of Tasmanian birds, nearly all, of course, 

 Australian. 



In continuance of the Colonel's remarks, if we compare the 

 number of the members of the various families and orders of 

 Tasmanian birds with those inhabiting the mainland of Aus- 

 tralia, we see how far the Australian avifauna is represented in 

 the island. Birds of prey are fairly numerous, the proportion of 

 Tasmanian species being 12 to 27 in Australia, not inclusive of 

 the Owls, which are only 3 to 14 ; Fly-catchers (Muscicapidcz) 

 number 8 out of 67 — a poor representation, one, a Fantail, being 

 peculiar to the island. Honey-eaters (Melipkagidce) are also 

 indifferently represented, the quota being 10 out of 82. In the 

 Parrot tribe Tasmania has 12 species out of 59. Passing to 

 shore-birds (Plovers, Dottrels, &c.) we find 2$ in Tasmania out 

 of a total of 46 recorded for Australia, which is a better represen- 

 tation than that of any order but Petrels, of which there are 27 

 species out of 38 as yet noted for Australasian seas, this being 

 accounted for by the fact that these birds are wanderers over 

 all the Southern Ocean. 



Notwithstanding that Tasmanian birds are limited in species 

 their numbers are fairly plentiful, as was observed during the 

 short field outing by various members of the Congress. These 

 outings were chiefly to the foot-hills and fern gullies of Mt. 

 Wellington, in addition to one or two excursions in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Launceston. Within a few minutes' walk of any 

 tram terminus Bronze-wing Pigeons could be seen and heard 

 in the scrub, proving that these beautiful birds must be common, 

 or that Tasmanians protect their birds remarkably well. 



The forested hills of Tasmania resemble those of Eastern 

 Victoria, but if anything are more sombre in general tone. 

 About 65 species of birds were identified by the several members 

 of the Union, chiefly during excursions kindly led by local 

 members — at Launceston by Messrs. Frank M. Littler, Wm. 

 M'Gowan, and H. C. Thompson ; at Hobart, by Messrs. A. L. 

 Butler and Malcolm Harrison. Here follow some of the most 

 striking land species noted : — 



