TASMANIA 169 



anything in nature, naturally making them an at- 

 tractive family. 



The most southern species is the Fire-tail (Zonae- 

 ginthus bellus) meaning zone belt; aiginthus, a 

 hedge sparrow, and bellus, beautiful. It belongs 

 to the order of sparrows, having a brilliant scarlet 

 rump. 



There are more than twenty species of finches, 

 yet only one of them is found in this isolated island 

 state. 



Map 71 shows the area of distribution of the 

 Fire-tail and it would be thoroughly interesting to 

 know its courses of migration. About Adelaide it 

 will probably be bathic and in Tasmania, north- 

 south. 



PARROT-LIKE BIRDS IN TASMANIA 



There are three quite differently coloured Cock- 

 atoos in Tasmania, a white, a black and a grey. 

 The black is more numerous and has yellow cheeks. 

 In Western Australia there is a black cockatoo 

 very much like this one, with all the yellow dis- 

 placed in favour of white. Map 72 shows this as 

 western representation. Both are useful birds in 

 eating out excess of timber-destroying insects. 



The Grass Parrots stay in the open and barely 

 approach the fringe of the forests. There are two 

 species in Tasmania. 



The Broad-tailed Parrots include the rosellas, 

 and here again we have eastern and western repre- 



