92 BIRDS OF TASMANIA. 



considered identical with the well-known " Brown-tail " (^A. 

 diemenensis). It is not, however, certain that this is correct, 

 as further research may lead to the rediscovery of Ewing's 

 Tit. Subsequent to the publication of Ewing's list others 

 have been printed, and used for reference, but up till late 

 years scarcely any additions were made to the 169 birds 

 enumerated in the first-named. 



In 1886, a " Systematic List " was drawn up by myself, 

 the varicms orders, families, and sub-families into which 

 our bnds are divided being classified on the same system as 

 that adopted in my " Birds of Ceylon." This libt has now 

 been revised, and included in this "Note.'' The now uni- 

 versally-received nomenclature of the " British Museum 

 Catalogue " has been used, and the vernacular names 

 adopted in the Australasian Association List of 1898 given 

 to our birds. It is to be hoped that, in future, naturalists 

 and collectors will adhere to the names in question, which 

 are the result of much thought and care on the part of the 

 compilers. 



If we compare the number of the members of the various 

 families and orders given in the list with those inhabiting 

 the continent, we see at a glance how far the Australian 

 avifauna is represented in our Island: — Birds of prey are 

 fairly numerous, the proportion of species in Tasmania 

 being 12 to 27 in Australia, not inclusive, however, of 

 the owls, which are only 3 to 14; fly-catchers (Mnscicapidce) 

 number 8 species out of 67, which is a poor representation, 

 one, the Fantail, being peculiar to the Island. Honey-eaters 

 (Meliphagidce) are also' indifferently represented, our quota 

 being 10 out of 82. In the parrot " order," Tasmania has 12 

 species out of 59. Passing to shore birds (plovers, do(t^ 

 terels, curlews, &c.), we find 23 in Tasmania out of a total 

 of 46 recorded for Australia, which is a better representa- 

 tion than that of any order but petrels, of which we have 

 27 species out of 38 as yet noted from Australasian seas, 

 this being accounted for by the fact that these birds are 

 wanderers over all the Southern Ocean. 



In some instances, for simplification, genera adopted in 

 the British Museum Catalogue have not been made use of 

 in the following List: — 



