Vol. XVI. 

 1917 



] Obituary. 243 



Geological Society of England, a Fellow of the Royal Geographical 

 Society, a corresponding member of the Zoological Society of 

 England, and a member of the Royal Irish Academy. 



In 1883 he was appointed Commissioner for New South Wales 

 and Tasmania at the great International Fisheries Exhibition held 

 in London, and while he was there the University of Edinburgh 

 conferred upon him the degree of LL.D. At that time he was 

 also created a life member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, 

 and the Italian Government made him a Knight of the Crown of 

 Italy. 



Dr. Ramsay pubhshed in 1888 a " Tabular List of the Birds 

 of Australia " (an amended edition of his 1877 " List"), which 

 was extremely useful, and was followed by the field workers of 

 those days. Another important ornithological work was the 

 " Catalogue of the Australian Birds in the Australian Museum, 

 Sydney." Parts i and 2 — Accipitres and Striges — were re- 

 spectively issued 1874-8, and subsequent additions ; part 3 — 

 Psittaci — was issued i8gi ; and part 4 — Picariae (Kingfishers) — 

 in 1894. 



Amongst the most remarkable Australian birds first described 

 by Dr. Ramsay were Atrichornis rufescens (Rufous Scrub-Bird), 

 Heteromyias cincreijrons (Ashy-fronted Robin), Orthonyx spaldingi 

 (Black-headed Log-runner), Colluricincla boweri (Bower Shrike- 

 Thrush), Eopsaltria (now Pachycephala) inornata (Grey Thick- 

 head), Ptilotis macleayana (Yellow-streaked Honey-eater), Ptilotis 

 frenata (Bridled Honey-eater), Scenopceetes dentirostris (Tooth- 

 billed Bower-Bird), and Ailnrcedus inaculosus (Spotted Cat-Bird) ; 

 and he described many new eggs. 



In private life the deceased ornithologist was of a genial dis- 

 position. He was a great lover of music, and had a keen sense 

 of humour. So has passed one of the most conspicuous of Aus- 

 tralian-born workers among the urnis of his coimtry. 



Bird Observers* Club. 



The December meeting of the B.O.C. was held at the residence ol 

 Dr. Norman M' Arthur, Toorak. Mr. Barnard, of Queensland, was 

 welcomed as a visitor, and read a short but valuable paper on " Bird 

 Life as Affected by Drought." He stated that some birds were 

 practically exterminated, whilst others usually worked towards the 

 coast. Sometimes years elapsed before they returned to their localitv 

 again. He instanced such birds as the Orange-backed Wren-Warbler 

 {Malurus melanocephalus) and ^he Beautiful Parrakeet {Psephotus 

 pulcherrimus), which he had only seen once since 1882, when a big 

 drought occurred. Mr. Tom. Tregellas read a paper describing in 

 detail a collecting trip taken in October, 1916, to Linga, in the Malice 

 country. He illustrated his remarks with an excellent series ot 

 lantern slides, showing the plant and bird life of the district. A 

 notable picture was the nest and egg of the Spotted Nightjar 

 {Eurostopodus guttatus). Mr. Howat was provisionally elected a 

 member of the Club. 



