Iq5 Correspondence. [ 



Emu 

 15th Jai 



Then, again, they may Ix- those of mound- Iniilding birds, and 

 this class of bird may have Ix'en far more nmnerous then than 

 they arc now. I have found eggs of these birds that had been 

 3 or 4 feet down in an old mound for many years, and were 

 perfect, although fragile, and the interior always filled with soil 

 that had worked in through some crack. 



Then, again, take birds that nest in burrows, such as Petrels 

 and others. On several occasions I have foimd buried eggs of 

 Mutton-Birds {Piiffinus brevicaiidiis) that had been originally laid 

 in a burrow possibly 2 to 3 feet deep ; the parent had been killed 

 and the egg left. In time the hole fell in and the egg was covered, 

 and, as the ground above may possibly be raised by sand drifts 

 and other means, the egg was quite protected from the weather. 

 Only last year I examined a cliff of hardened sand which had been 

 eroded by the wind, and about 8 feet from the surface saw half 

 an egg projecting from the bank. The erosion was taking place 

 across an old Mutton-Bird nesting-ground, which probably had 

 not been used for over one hundred years. On removing the egg 

 I found it full of sand, and the surface slightly cracked. If this 

 mound had eventually been formed into dune sandstone instead 

 of being eroded away, this egg would have become fossilized also, 

 and tlie shell would have been almost perfect. I ha^•c found 

 three eggs of these birds in similar circumstances, and all full of 

 sand, which would agree with Dr. Shufeldt's contention. 



Although we have found fossil remains of animals in dune 

 sandstone, no signs of eggs have been noticed, but they may easily 

 be overlooked. Of course, this rock is of recent origin, but the 

 same principle would apply. 



W. H. D. LE SOUEF. 

 Zoological Crardens. Melbourne. 



To the Editors of " The Emu." 

 Sirs, — The Executive Committee of the Commonwealth 

 Advisory Council of Science and Industry has had brought before 

 it the possibility that the completion of the Transcontinental 

 Railway may lead to the introduction of European Sparrows into 

 Western Australia, in which State they are at present unknown. 

 The Committee are endeavouring to ascertain whether Span■o^\■s 

 have followed the construction of the line from the Port Augusta 

 end, and if so, to what distance ; and it has occurred to them that 

 some reader of The Emu may have travelled on the line and made 

 observations on the birds seen, which would enable him to answer 

 these questions. If so, I should be much obliged if he would 

 communicate with me as soon as possible. — Yours faithfully. 

 (iERALD LIGHTFOOT, 

 Acting Secretary, Executive Committee, Ad\isory 

 Council of Science and Industry. 

 314 Albert -street. East Melbourne, 14/11/16. 



