THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM MAGAZINE. 



265 



Imikling muht be provided in any case, as 

 the Cairo ^Museum is far too full to take in 

 properly all the objects which are piled up in 

 four chambers of the tomb. The obvious 

 site is Qurneh, somewhere south of Deir el 

 Bahri. There a substantial museum should 

 be built, wdthout any upper floor, and en- 

 tirely lighted from the north. Then wall 

 come the question of the efficient publica- 

 tion of all this mass of objects. The Egyp- 

 tian Government should begin by an appropri- 

 ation of £30,000 for the museum and £20,000 



for publicaticm. They cannot grudge a few 

 })er cent, of the value of what has been found 

 for them, if they get everything for nothing. 

 No one canhof)e that these things will last for 

 another three thousand years : probalily this 

 sheen of gold will perish by ignorant greed 

 within three hundred years. A coniplete 

 photographic and coloured reproduction of 

 every object from various points of view, and 

 with full diagrams of details, is the least 

 that this generation owes to the past, which 

 has guarded its treasure till now. 



Circumstances which caused the 

 death of a White Cockatoo {Cacatua 

 galerita) in July of last year were 

 probably unique. The bird had a]5par- 

 ehtly escaped from captivity and was 

 enjoying its recovered freedom in 

 the vicinity of Maroubra, New South 

 Wales. For some months it had been 

 observed flying along the coast, and 

 often venturing some distance sea- 

 wards. During one of these excursions, 

 and when within fifty yards of the 

 shore, the cockatoo was attacked by 

 two Silver CtuIIs {Lams novae -hoUandiae) 

 who, in the quarrelsome mood com- 

 mon to sea-birds, resented the tres- 

 passing of this clumsy stranger into 

 their domain. The gulls being more 

 than a match for the cockatoo in their 

 better wing control and swifter flight, 

 the short conflict that followed was a 

 one-sided affair, and it was not many 

 seconds before they had driven their 

 still fighting antagonist into the sea 



from a height of one hundred feet. 

 Despite its experience in this unfamiliar 

 element the cockatoo managed to keep 

 afloat, and flapping its outstretched 

 wings grotesquely valiantly struck out 

 for the rocky shore. Relieved now 

 of the attentions of the harassing gulls, 

 the bird made good its escape, but, on 

 reaching shallow water, was caught 

 up by several large white rollers which 

 completely enveloped it for several 

 seconds. Eventually it was carried 

 close enough inshore to be assisted out 

 of the water with the aid of a landing 

 net requisitioned for the purpose from 

 some fishermen nearby, and had just 

 sufficient strength to grasp the loop 

 of the net with its beak, when its feet 

 began to draw up and its body to 

 stiffen with the cold. Every effort 

 was made to revive it, but it soon died 

 from the effects of exposure and of salt 

 water. — Frank A. McNeill. 



