﻿

  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST 
  

  

  No. 
  759.— 
  September, 
  1904. 
  

  

  TASMANIA 
  : 
  ORNITHOLOGICALLY 
  CONSIDERED. 
  

   By 
  Frank 
  M. 
  Littler, 
  M.A.O.U., 
  F.E.S. 
  

  

  The 
  Island 
  of 
  Tasmania, 
  lying 
  to 
  the 
  south-east 
  of 
  Australia, 
  

   is 
  separated 
  from 
  the 
  mainland 
  by 
  Bass 
  Strait, 
  which 
  contains 
  

   several 
  groups 
  of 
  small 
  islands, 
  whose 
  avifauna 
  closely 
  resembles 
  

   that 
  of 
  itself. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  islands 
  dotted 
  about 
  the 
  strait 
  

   are 
  Cape 
  Barren, 
  Flinders, 
  the 
  Hunters, 
  Three 
  Hummock, 
  

   Bobbins, 
  Furneaux, 
  and 
  last, 
  but 
  not 
  least, 
  King. 
  All 
  these 
  

   islands 
  present 
  points 
  of 
  interest 
  to 
  the 
  naturalist. 
  

  

  The 
  birds 
  of 
  Tasmania 
  present 
  many 
  features 
  of 
  interest 
  to 
  

   the 
  ornithologist 
  ; 
  though, 
  compared 
  with 
  tropical 
  countries, 
  

   or 
  some 
  other 
  areas 
  of 
  similar 
  size, 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  species 
  is 
  but 
  

   small. 
  Then, 
  again, 
  being 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  fag 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  Australian 
  

   "region," 
  its 
  shores 
  are 
  not 
  visited 
  by 
  any 
  great 
  number 
  of 
  

   northern 
  migrants, 
  whose 
  wanderings 
  cease 
  with 
  the 
  southern 
  

   extremity 
  of 
  the 
  mainland. 
  But, 
  notwithstanding 
  all 
  these 
  

   disadvantages, 
  the 
  avifauna 
  of 
  Tasmania 
  well 
  repays 
  the 
  trouble 
  

   one 
  takes 
  to 
  study 
  it. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  large 
  tracts 
  of 
  country 
  where 
  bird-life 
  is 
  exceedingly 
  

   scarce, 
  such 
  as 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  coast, 
  where 
  the 
  lofty 
  forest-trees 
  

   and 
  the 
  heavy 
  jungle-like 
  undergrowth 
  are 
  totally 
  unsuited 
  

   for 
  it. 
  In 
  nearly 
  all 
  the 
  other 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  island, 
  however, 
  

   birds 
  are 
  plentiful 
  ; 
  but 
  one 
  does 
  sometimes 
  meet 
  with 
  stretches 
  

   of 
  country 
  quite 
  destitute 
  of 
  bird-life, 
  even 
  though 
  all 
  the 
  

   conditions 
  are 
  apparently 
  favourable. 
  The 
  indiscriminate 
  and 
  

   wholesale 
  "ringing" 
  of 
  trees 
  and 
  firing 
  of 
  scrub 
  has 
  sadly 
  

   reduced 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  species 
  in 
  several 
  districts. 
  This 
  applies 
  

   Zool. 
  4th 
  ser. 
  vol. 
  VIII., 
  September, 
  1904. 
  2 
  c 
  

  

  