Nov.,] Notes. 107 



Forest Preservation. — An effort is being made to arouse 

 public interest in our rapidly disappearing forests, and an 

 influential provisional committee was appointed at a public 

 meeting held in Melbourne on the 28th October to organize 

 a forest league. Membership was fixed at the nominal sum 

 of 2s. 6d., and Dr. C. S. Sutton, North Carlton, who is acting 

 as hon. secretary, will be pleased to enrol any persons 

 interested. 



"The Austral Avian Record." — In No. 3 (June, 1912) of 

 this publication, the editor, Mr. Gregory M. Mathews, acknow- 

 ledges the unsigned articles in the previous parts as having been 

 contributed by himself. The fourth number (September, 1912) 

 is to hand, with a further batch of trinomial sub-species of Aus- 

 tralian birds by the editor, and numerous emendations of 

 names previously published by him, so that a copy of Mr. 

 Mathews' " Reference List of the Birds of Australia " brought 

 up to date by pen alterations must now present a rather 

 tangled appearance. 



The Naming of Sea Lake. — T note in this month's 

 Naturalist the question was asked at the last meeting of the 

 Club as to the origin of the names of Sea Lake and Green Lake. 

 Many others have asked the same question. I have made some 

 inquiries, and in conversation with Mr. Jas. Mudge, J. P., an 

 old resident with an extensive knowledge of the district, he 

 stated that Sea Lake owed its inappropriate title to the follow- 

 ing trivial circumstance : — "When this part of the Mallee was re- 

 sumed by the Government from the squatters, and was being 

 ' cut up ' into agricultiiral allotments, an officer of the Lands 

 Department was sent to report on the township site, and on 

 the plan supplied to him was marked the words, ' See Lake,' as 

 a reminder to personally inspect the lake, and report on tlie 

 suitability of the same as a water supply for the township. 

 'See ' became ' Sea,' and thus the new settlement was named." 

 Green Lake, better known as Green Swamp, was so named on 

 account of the verdant appearance of its banks and surrounding 

 country during good seasons. Like Sea Lake, it is surrounded 

 by a narrow but dense belt or grove of Box trees, with Murray 

 Pine and Bull-oak, and would make an ideal sanctuary for wild 

 fowl were it but protected from the everlasting "'pot-hunter." 

 Under the trees on its margin I have seen lying dead, wantonly 

 shot and left to lie, the beautiful Nankeen Heron, Magpie-Lark, 

 Black-tailed Tribonyx, and other harmless and rare birds. I 

 think the Club should move in the matter, and try to get 

 Green- Lake proclaimed as a sanctuary. There are plenty of 

 rabbits and hares, sparrows, parrots, and crows for the "sports- 

 men " to try their skill on. — J. C. Goudie. Sea Lake. 12th 

 September, 191 2. 



