president's address — SECTION D. 103 



In other groups of reptiles all that can be noted is the 

 entire absence of Chelonia, of which two forms ( Che.lymys 

 macquaria and Chelodina longicollis) are found in Vic- 

 toria (the latter only in the southern part), and the poverty 

 of the island so far as yet recorded in Lacertilia. Amongst 

 others Hinulia whiteii and H. lesueri are present in South 

 Victoria and Tasmania but absent from North Victoria. 



Ayes. 



So far as our present purpose is concerned, two works, the 

 List of Australian Birds by Dr. Ramsay and the List of 

 Tasmanian Birds by Colonel Legge may serve for reference. 



In Dr. Ramsay's list no distinction is made between 

 Victorian and S. Australian birds and though, naturally, the 

 two colonies have the great majority in common they have 

 not all, and to workers in either colony a separate list, or, at 

 any rate, some sign to indicate the forms not common to both 

 would have been of interest and value. I am much indebted 

 to my friend, Mr. A. J. Campbell, whose practical acquaint- 

 ance with Victorian birds and their modes of life and nesting 

 is probably greater than that of anyone else, for his kind 

 assistance in informing me of those which are and those 

 which are not common to both colonies as well as for other 

 information, the results of his own observations. 



As might have been expected, Tasmania differs chiefly 

 from the mainland, so far as birds are concerned, in two 

 points : (1) the smaller number of forms and (2) the absence 

 of certain characteristic Australian forms. Austraha and 

 Tasmania have between them 285 genera and 761 species. 

 Tasmania alone has 129 genera and 203 species. Of the 

 latter, some 21 only are peculiar to the island. The relation- 

 ship with other colonies may be estimated by the fact that 

 out of its 203 species it has lf)8 in common with Victoria, the 

 same number in common with New South Wales, 1 60 with 

 S. Australia, 139 with Queensland and 120 with W. 

 Australia 



Seeing how apparently easily birds could pass over to 

 Tasmania from the mainland, taking advantage of the chain 

 of islands to the east side of Bass Straits, it is almost surprising 

 to find even 21 species peculiar. On the west side there is no 

 such close connection and out of 69 species of birds collected 

 during a visit of the Victorian Field Naturalists' Club to 

 King Island, 14 were comprised in the 21 peculiar to 

 Tasmania whilst only I was not a Tasmanian species. On 



