72 



tbe avifauna of Tasmania are a pair of fine specimens 

 of the Southern Stone Plover {CEdicnemus grallarius). 

 Although this is the first time this splendid example of the 

 family Charadriadce has been recorded as having teen found 

 in Tasmania, it has a very wide distribution on the Conti- 

 nent of Australia, being found at Derby, North- West 

 Australia ; Cape York, Buckingham Bay ; through New- 

 South Wales, Victoria, South, West, and South- West of 

 Australia. The late Mr. John Gould, in his work "The 

 Birds of Australia," writes :— " I should suppose that there is 

 no country on the entire face of the globe, except, perhaps, 

 the Antarctic land, that is not inhabited by some species of 

 this family. Prom Arctic America, through the course of 

 the Andes, to Cape Horn, species occur." He further states 

 that these birds are allied on the one hand to the Bustards,, 

 and on the other hand to the Plovers, and is the largest 

 species of its genus yet discovered, its body being nearly the 

 size of that of a hen pheasant. The flesh is excellent eating. 

 The habits of this species are similar to the one found in 

 Ceylon, CEdicnemus scolopax, generally found frequenting 

 sandy plains, crowns and sides of grassy hills, and flats 

 between the mountain ridges particularly. Gould says those 

 that are of a rough and stony character. It is generally met 

 with in pairs, but is occasionally seen in small companies of 

 from eight to ten or more. It is a very shy bird, and runs 

 with great facility, and when not disposed to take wing squats 

 on the ground by the side of a stone or a prostrate log of 

 wood, and there remains so close as almost to admit of being 

 trodden upon before it will rise. Colonel W. V. Legge, in 

 his excellent work on " The Birds of Ceylon," writes of the 

 Ceylon species as being much smaller than the Australian 

 are, and speaks of the Ceylon bird as being excellent in eating. 

 The two Tasmanian specimens proved to be females. The first 

 specimen was kindly sent me through Mr. J. McCluskey, of 

 Spring Bay, having been shot in that locality about "last 

 April. The other was obtained at Swansea on the 28th of 

 last month, kindly sent to the Museum by Mr. Frank Morris. 

 Both birds were very fat, and in good plumage, although 

 both the same sex the measurements differed. The bird 

 from Swansea gave the following measurements : — Total 

 length with tail, 22'5 ; tail, 8 ; wing, 12 ; tarsus, 7'6 ; mid 

 toe, 22 ; culmen, 22 ; bill from gape, 2-5. The Spring Bay 

 bird .-—Total length with tail, 20 ; tail, 8-3 ; wing, 12 ; tarsus, 

 5-4; mid toe, 2'1; culmen, T8 ; gape, 2-3. This addition 

 will give the number of birds known to Tasmania as 191. 



