^°qo'''] ^^^- J- Campbell, Descriplion of a Nnu Acanthiza. 203 



sembles A.piisilla in this respect, but may be easily separated 

 from both these birds by the great size of its bill. 



Four specimens (two being young) of the new species were 

 collected by Mr. A. G. Campbell on King Island last November. 

 For further remarks see his article, " The Birds of King Island," 

 in this issue, page 207. 



He has also brought under my notice another Tit, of which 

 unfortunately he was only able to procure a single specimen — 

 an adult, however. It differs from the three species of Tits 

 before-mentioned by its more slender tarsi and wings, but con- 

 spicuously by the absence of the light crescent-shaped marks 

 on the brownish (rufous-brown) feathers of the forehead, and by 

 the white feathers of the cheeks, chest, &c., having the centre 

 only black, and not also edged with that colour as in the other 

 species. Length, 4.0; culmen, .3; wing, 2.1 ; tail, 1.6; tarsus, 

 .85. By this diagnosis I strongly suspect the stranger to be a 

 re-discovery of Gould's long-lost Acanthiza ezuingii (" Birds of 

 Australia," vol. iii., pi. 55). If not, and pending the receipt of 

 more material, I venture to provisionally name the bird A, 

 rujifrons, or the King Island Tit. 



The Birds of King Island. 



By a. G. Campbell. 



King Island, lying at the western end of Bass Strait, which 

 separates Tasmania from the mainland of Australia, has always 

 been of great interest to the biologist. A study of its life- 

 forms has materiall)' assisted in proving that the island State at 

 no very remote period was of much greater area than it is at 

 present, and, further, was actually connected with the mainland 

 before the mighty forces of the ocean succeeded in opening up a 

 strait along some weak spot. King Island is in area about 272,000 

 acres, 40 miles long by 16 miles at its widest part. Though only 

 50 miles separate the north point from Cape Otway on the main- 

 land, and a similar distance the south point from the north- 

 west of Tasmania, yet to the south are found several islands 

 and rocks, and the straits between are very shallow, pointing 

 to the fact that King Island was attached to Tasmania at a 

 later period than to the mainland. In fact, the strait on the 

 north undoubtedly marks the spot where the sea first broke in 

 and commenced its work of severing Tasmania from Aus- 

 tralia, for on the eastern side of Bass Strait, between Wilson 

 Promontory and the north-east point of Tasmania, the con- 

 tinuous chain of islets, all built of a similar granitoid rock, proves 

 that there a land bridge existed at a more recent date, when 

 some of the higher animals were in existence. 



The presence of the Emu and kangaroo in Tasmania can 



