Jhe £mu 



Official Organ of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists' Union. 



" Bir^s of 2^ fczitber.' 



Vol. XIII.] 1ST OCTOBER, 191 3. [Part 2. 



A Commonwealth Collection. 



By a. J. Campbell, Col. Mem. B.O.U. 



INTRODUCTION. 



Following on Mr. Milton S. Ray's thoughtful remarks in defence 

 of oology, reprinted in part from The Condor (California) in The 

 Emu, vol. X., pp. 54-56, and the statement of the late Dr. P. L. 

 Sclater, in an address before the British Ornithologists' Club, 

 that he "rejoiced in the progress of oology" {vide Emu, vol. xi., 

 p. 260), I make no apology for giving a description (howbeit only 

 superficial) of the magnificent collection of Australian eggs, the 

 property of Mr. H. L. White, R.A.O.U., Belltrees, New South 

 Wales. 



At the close of the Sydney session of the R.A.O.U., October, 

 191 1, by the kind invitation of Mr. White, Mr. D. Le Souef and 

 myself proceeded to Belltrees and inspected this collection, much to 

 our pleasure and instruction. 



Belltrees homestead is about 20 miles from Scone, on the 

 Sydney-Brisbane railway, where we left the line. The up-to-date 

 home is situated near the Upper Hunter River, which courses 

 through fertile fiats over a pebbly bottom, between banks fringed 

 with shapely sheoaks {Casitarina). Surrounding it is an amphi- 

 theatre of hills dominated by the double-headed peak of Woolooma, 

 distant about () miles, 5,000 feet above sea-level (see Emu, vol. 

 viii., p. 2). 



Among persons interested in pastoral pursuits Belltrees is a 

 household word throughout Australia, but two reasons may be 

 mentioned why it is historical — (i) Richard Hoddle, the year 

 before he laid out the city of Melbourne, surveyed a portion of 

 Belltrees estate for the grandfather of Mr. White ; (2) John Gould, 

 the great ornithologist, collected in the district, and stopped at 

 Yarrundi, a few miles from Scone, at the residence of his brother- 

 in-law, Mr. C. Coxen (a picture of this old home may be seen 

 in The Emu, vol. viii., pi. i). 



Mr. H. L. White, as a boy, at Goulburn, N.S.W., had a small 

 collection of odd end-blown eggs. It was not till latterly, during 

 the last 12 or 14 years, that he thought of collecting scientifically. 

 As Mr. Gregory M. Mathews (who, by the way, is a connection of 

 Mr. White) hopes to figure all known Australian birds, so Mr. 



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