PRESIDBNT's address — SECTION D. 105 



It is, however, the hirds which are absent quite as much 

 as those which are present which it is important to note. 



In the first place there is no Struthious bird now existing 

 in the island; in Queensland only there is found the Casso- 

 wary ( Casuarius australisj, and all over Austraha one 

 species of Emu ( Dromaius novce-hollandicB), whilst a second 

 species of the latter (D. irroratus) occurs in North, South, 

 and West Australia, but is absent from the eastern colonies. 

 Formerly an Emu existed in Tasmania but it is now 

 apparently quite extinct, the date of its extinction being 

 uncertain. 



On the continent are rehcs of a once greater development 

 of Struthious birds alhed to the extinct Dinornis of New 

 Zealand. No traces of these are discovered in Tasmania. 



In the undoubtedly greater past and present development 

 of Struthious birds in the north than in the south-east part of 

 Australia (including Tasmania) we have again an instance of 

 alhance between the former rather than between the latter 

 and New Zealand. 



Amongst the Carinatae there are three notable Australian 

 forms wanting in Tasmania. The first of these are the bower 

 birds belonging to the family Paradiseidae, and of which 

 two are present in ^^ictoria, — one, the satin bower bird 

 ( Ptilonorhynchus violaceusj, in the south east, the other, the 

 spotted bower bird ( Chlamydodera maculatusj, in the north 

 west. It is worthy of note that the eastern species is common 

 to New South Wales but not to South Australia, whilst the 

 western species is common to the latter. 



The second form is the lyre bird, of which three species 

 are known on the continent. One (^Mcemira superbaj con- 

 fined to New South Wales ; another fM. albertij in South 

 Queensland and New South Wales, and a third fM. 

 victoricej only found in Gippsland in S.E. Victoria. It 

 is rather strange that neither of these forms, for the existence 

 of which Tasmania seems admirably adapted, should have 

 passed across from the continent and the only possible 

 explanation must be found in the supposition that Tasmania 

 became separated off before they existed in Victoria. 



The third of the three forms are the MegapodidsB or 

 mound-builders, and their absence is more easy to understand. 

 There are three species on the mainland ; one, Tallegallus 

 lathami, of Queensland and New South Wales; a second, 

 Megapodius tumulus, of Northern Austraha, and a third, the 

 Mallee-hen or Lowan ( Leipoa occellata) of West Victoria, 



