2S4 



THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM MAGAZINE. 



Notes and News. 



Under the au8])ices of the British 

 Museum Ca]itain G. H. Wilkins is 

 leading a collecting ex])edition into the 

 wilds of Queensland and has commenced 

 operations on the Moonie River in the 

 South West of that State. The ex- 

 ])edition will last for two years and will 

 ()])erate chiefly in Queensland and the 

 Northern Territory. The British Mu- 

 seum and Captain Wilkins are to be 

 congratulated for their enterprise and 

 we wish all success to the expedition, 

 but we cannot help reflecting rather 

 sadly that our own Museums are so 

 handica])i)ed by lack of fimds that they 

 find it impossible to do more than a 

 little sporadic collecting, and no Aus- 

 tralian museum has even one collector 

 whose whole time could be given to 

 field work. 



Among th'^ recent vistiors to the 

 Museum were Dr. Casey Wood, the 

 well known ornithologist of Chicago, 

 U.S.A., who has for many years been 

 making a special study of the eyes of 

 birds ; Dr. T. T. Flynn, Professor of 

 Biology in the University of Tasmania ; 

 Professor Watson and Professor Main- 

 waring of Adelaide. 



From the daily press of 14th May we 

 learn that " A cormorant drive was held 

 on Umeralla and Murrumbidgee Rivers. 

 Shooters were allotted stations along 

 the river banks by the Cooma Progress 

 Tourist Association which organised 

 the shoot." It cannot be too strongly 

 emphasised that we have to be very 

 cautious in interfering with the bal- 

 ance of nature. Years ago an organised 

 and fairly successful attempt was made 

 to shoot down the cormorants on the 

 Lower Murray. But, we are told, this 

 slaughter did not result in an improve- 

 ment in fish life as had been anticipated. 

 On the contrary it had a harmful effect, 

 for, with the reduction in the number 

 of cormorants, eels, " yabbies," and 

 other forms which prey on the fry of 

 iiseful species, flourished unchecked, 

 and there was a decided diminution iii 

 the number of edible fishes. 



By the passing of E. J. Ban field of 

 Dunk Island, North Queensland, Aus- 

 tralia has lost a naturalist and writer 

 whose fame has spread far beyond the 

 confines of our island continent. 

 Twenty-five years ago the " Beach- 

 comber '" selected Dunk Island as his 

 residence for health reasons, and so 

 congenial did he find his tropical isle, 

 that it became his permanent home till 

 his death on June 2nd. He was an 

 accomplished naturalist, a keen obser- 

 ver, and a writer of delightful books. 

 His first work " Confessions of a 

 Beachcomber " weaved a romantic spell 

 round his little island, which subse- 

 quently became a sort of Mecca for 

 scientists andtom'ists. His succeeding 

 books, " My Trojtic Isle "" and " Tropic 

 Days," did but enhance this s])ell, and 

 many readers of these charming works 

 have felt the impulse strong within 

 them to leave the " roaring street " and 

 go " a-Dunking." 



The late Mr. Banfield had long been 

 a valued correspondent of this Museum, 

 which was indebted to him for many 

 interesting specimens and natural his- 

 tory notes. 



Mr. C. Hedley, who is the Australian 

 Museum representative on the Barrier 

 Reef Committee, left Sydney on 19th 

 May to join a party led by Professor 

 H. C. Richards of Melbourne for the 

 purpose of exploring the reef. A 

 Queensland Government steamer has 

 been placed at their disposal and the 

 ex})edition intends to proceed along the 

 reef, making lands at several places. 

 Im]wrtant scientific data are expected 

 to result from their surveys and 

 observations. 



The Ornithological Section of the 

 Royal Zoological Society of New South 

 Wales held its April meeting in the 

 Lecture Hall of the Museum. There 

 was a good attendance of members and 

 their friends as well as of the public, 

 and the proceedings took the form of a 

 number of short lectures illustrated by 

 numerous lantern slides. 



