Emu 



j/70 Australasian Ornithologists' Union. [ist^"} 



entirely on insects. It is fairly plentiful all over Australia, being 

 usually found in the neighbourhood of water ; but the class of 

 insects it preys on is not so destructive to human interests as those 

 the Ibis feeds on. For all that, it is a bird that should be rigorously 

 protected. There is a large class of smaller birds, such as Fly- 

 catchers and others, that are good insect-destroyers and very helpful 

 to farmers and fruit-growers, but they are too numerous to go 

 through in detail now. Our friend the Laughing Jackass or Giant 

 Kingfisher is held in high esteem by many, mostly because he kills 

 a few snakes, but he is much addicted to eating eggs and young of 

 far better insectivorous birds than himself, and also devours many 

 lizards, which reptiles are splendid insect-destroyers, especially 

 useful in catching moths, consequently this bird does not hold a high 

 place in the list of those that are useful to mankind. Magpies, 

 Butcher-Birds, Crows, and similar birds all have their good points, 

 but they also have their bad ones. The Ibis has none, and I think 

 easily holds the premier place as being the most useful bird, not only 

 in Australia but also in the other countries where it is found. These 

 bii^ds should be rigorously protected, especially in preventing their 

 nesting rookeries, where thousands of birds often congregate 

 together, from being raided for the sake of their eggs, and a heavy 

 penalty should be enacted for taking either the birds, their eggs, or 

 young. 



Notes and Notices. 



A High Aim. — Before his cousin, Mr. Gregory M. Mathews, 

 F.L.S., &c., completes his great work " The Coloured Figures of 

 the Birds of Australia," Mr. H. L. White, Scone, New South 

 Wales, hopes to possess for reference the eggs of every known 

 Australian bird. Mr. White's oological collection now exceeds 

 700 species, chiefly through his enterprise in sending out com- 

 petent collectors last season both to North-East and North- 

 West Australia. 



Coloured Figure Fund. — The hon. treasurer A.O.U. 

 reports that the donations to the Coloured Figure Fund for the 

 year ending 30th June. last were as follow : — W. J. T. Armstrong, 

 3s. ; F. L. Berney, los. ; Miss Brumby, los. ; H. Burrell, 8s. ; A. 

 L. Butler, 2s. 6d. ; G. Graham, 5s.; J. Greenway, 5s.; R. C. 

 M'Gregor, is. lod. ; Thos. Tindale, 5s. ; H. L. White, ;^3 is. 6d. ; 

 and for the previous year the following should be acknowledged, 

 namely : — W. V. Angove, 5s. ; Miss Brumby, 5s. ; G. Graham, 5s. ; 

 T. Iredale, los. ; Colonel Legge, los. ; Thos. Tindale, 5s. 



Extracts from Letters of Mr. F. L. Whitlock to 

 Mr. H. L. White {written during September, 1908, from near 

 Marble Bar, Western Australia). — Stones and spinifex ! 

 spinifex and stones ! ranges of hills red with granite and 

 glare, or else huge barren flats, with nothing but spinifex, 

 creeks lined with stunted and prickly shrubs ; the only relief, 



