Vol. IV 



1905 



1 Australasian Ornithologists' Union. q'J 



The session was concluded in the evening at the Royal Society's 

 Hall, Colonel Legge again occupying the chair. Papers by 

 Colonel Legge on " A List of Birds Observed at the Great Lake 

 (Tas.) " and a " Note on the Owlet Nightjar," and by Mr. A. G. 

 Campbell on " Some Comparisons of Victorian and Tasmanian 

 Birds " were read and keenly discussed. 



Mr. A. J. Campbell exhibited excellent photographs of two 

 old-time ornithologists — namely, John Gould, author of " The 

 Birds of Australia," and (on behalf of Dr. Paul Leverkuhn, 

 Bulgaria) Dr. George Bennett, author of " Gatherings of a 

 Naturalist in Australia." 



The session closed with a hearty vote of thanks to the acting- 

 president, Col. Legge. 



Outing to the National Park. 



On the morning of Thursday, ist December, some of the 

 members visited the National Park of New South Wales for a 

 few days, to study particularly its avifauna. The visitors were 

 greatly enamoured with the beauty of the Park, which was 

 made agreeably accessible to them by the courtesy of Mr. Frank 

 Farnell, J. P., Chairman of the Trustees, who personally con- 

 ducted the visitors by motor launch or by buggy to the places 

 of greatest interest. On one occasion Mr. P. Peir, of Sydney, 

 took charge of visiting members, conducting them to a little- 

 known valley in the Park, where a number of birds were 

 observed. [A more elaborate account of the outing to the 

 National Park, by Mr. J. W. Mellor, together with a list of 

 birds identified, will appear in the next issue of The Emu.~\ 



Fourth Annual Report (1903-4). 



During the past year steady progress has been made in the 

 affairs of the /\.O.U. The number of members is increasing, 

 and the circulation of The Emu, the Union's official journal, 

 extending. 



Printed forms asking for information regarding the migration 

 of birds have been sent to all the lighthouses in the Common- 

 wealth, as well as those of New Zealand, and other countries 

 north of Australia, and valuable information on this interesting 

 subject is gradually being collected, but it will need some years 

 of observations before positive statements can be made as to 

 " fly-lines," &c. 



Information is also being obtained regarding the nesting 

 season of wildfowl, and efTorts will be made to get the Game 

 Laws of the various States more uniform, especially between 

 New South Wales and Victoria, as at present they are at variance 

 on several important points, to the detriment of the birds. 



Some islands off Wilson's Promontory, Victoria, have been 

 reserved as a breeding-place for sea birds, and we are glad that 

 the Promontory will probably be permanently reserved as a 

 National Park and breeding-place for our fast disappearing fauna. 



