Vol- XIII.-] Qiyd Observers' Club. 6l 



igi3 J 



Mr. Cole was congratulated on his good tield-work. Mr. T. H. Tregellas 

 followed with a paper entitled " Birds of Passage." He dealt with many 

 migratory and partially migratory birds. Mr. P. R. H. St. John was 

 unanimously elected a member of the Club. Mr. A. C. Stone exhibited a 

 set of four eggs of the Plain-Wanderer. Dr. Bryant exhibited a skin of the 

 Terek Sandpiper {Terekia cmerea), from the Snowy River, Victoria, and 

 skins of the Grey-rumped Sandpiper ( Totanus brevipes) from Victoria and 

 another wader from Samoa. Several members contributed nature notes. 



South Australian Ornithological Association. 



The annual meeting of the Association was held in the Adelaide Institute 

 on 28th March, Mr. E. Ashby presiding. There was a good attendance. 

 The honorary secretary, Mr. J. W. Mellor, read the thirteenth annual 

 report, which showed that good progress had been made, a number of new 

 members having joined, and much more interest was now being taken in 

 the study and welfare of our native birds. The police were taking an active 

 part in watching for offenders against the Birds Protection Act., and 

 prosecuting those found breaking the law, while numerous inquiries were 

 being made by people relative to the usefulness or otherwise of our native 

 birds. Two members of the Association, Mr. J. W. Mellor and Captain S. 

 A. White, had attended the congress of the Royal Australasian 

 Ornithologists' Union recently held in Tasmania, and officially taken charge 

 of the ornithological investigations made in connection with the scientific 

 expedition to Flinders Island, in Bass Strait, after the congress 

 session. The silver cup presented by the Association to be competed for 

 annually by the school children of South Australia had this year been won 

 by the Wilkawatt public school. It was found that this cup was stirring up 

 enthusiasm amongst the children, and they were making keen observations 

 relative to the habits of the birds to enable them to write the essays 

 accurately. The financial statement showed a substantial credit balance. 

 The report and balance-sheet were adopted. The honorary secretary 

 reported having recently gone to Port Adelaide, at the request of the Police 

 Department, to investigate a case in which native birds were being exported 

 by a bird-dealer, and these had been detained by the police until it was 

 ascertained whether any protected birds were amongst the consignment. 

 Mr. Mellor found that the species were not protected, and they were allowed 

 to be forwarded. Captain S. A. White tabled the " Check-list " of the 

 R.A.O.U., and also The Ibis. Mr. F. R. Zietz was elected to the position 

 of president for the ensuing year, but it was resolved to adjourn the meeting 

 until next month, and in the interim to call for nominations for the 

 positions of vice-president and honorary secretary and treasurer, and in 

 future years to call for nominations for all officers of the Association, these 

 to be in the hands of the secretary at least ten days prior to the annual 

 meeting. The subject of the evening was the study of the Heron and 

 Bittern families. Specimens were brought by Mr. Ashby and Captain White, 

 and it was decided to continue the subject at the next meeting. 



The adjourned annual meeting of the Society was held in the Royal 

 Society's rooms, North-terrace, on the evening of 35th April. Mr. Robert 

 Zietz (president) occupied the chair. Other officers elected : — Vice- 

 president, Mr. J. W. Mellor ; secretary, Mr. R. Crompton. Dr. A. M. 

 Morgan reported the appearance of the Spiny-cheeked Honey-eater 

 {AcuHtho^enys rufogn/aris) on the plains. Mr. Zietz said he had seen the 

 first Flame-breasted Robin {Petroica pha'nicen) for the season. Capt. White 

 said he had observed numbers of these beautiful birds on the salt-flats near 

 St. Kilda during ihe week, and that these birds leave the ranges at this time 

 of the year and disperse over the low country. The subjects for the evening 

 were Cranes, Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns. A fine collection of these birds 



