﻿TASMANIA 
  : 
  ORNITHOLOGICALLY 
  CONSIDERED. 
  333 
  

  

  upon 
  by 
  many 
  bush-dwellers 
  as 
  a 
  sure 
  weather 
  prophet, 
  for 
  

   they 
  say 
  that 
  when 
  it 
  is 
  going 
  to 
  be 
  stormy 
  the 
  Black 
  Cockatoo 
  

   flies 
  very 
  low, 
  and 
  is 
  exceedingly 
  noisy. 
  I 
  have 
  noticed 
  the 
  

   same 
  thing 
  myself. 
  A 
  belt 
  of 
  rung 
  timber 
  presents 
  a 
  very 
  

   curious 
  appearance 
  after 
  a 
  flock 
  of 
  these 
  birds 
  has 
  passed 
  

   through. 
  The 
  bark 
  hangs 
  from 
  every 
  tree 
  in 
  long 
  strips 
  as 
  it 
  

   was 
  torn 
  off 
  by 
  the 
  powerful 
  bills 
  of 
  the 
  birds 
  in 
  search 
  of 
  grubs. 
  

   The 
  White 
  Cockatoo 
  (Gacatua 
  galerita) 
  is 
  very 
  plentiful 
  in 
  some 
  

   districts, 
  and 
  is 
  very 
  destructive 
  to 
  sprouting 
  grain. 
  

  

  The 
  Greater 
  Brown 
  Quail 
  (Synoecus 
  dicmenemis), 
  of 
  the 
  

   family 
  Phasianidce, 
  is 
  not 
  considered 
  by 
  the 
  British 
  Museum 
  

   authorities 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  good 
  species, 
  but 
  I 
  can 
  assure 
  those 
  gentle- 
  

   men 
  that 
  all 
  field 
  naturalists 
  and 
  observant 
  sportsmen 
  are 
  quite 
  

   convinced 
  of 
  its 
  validity. 
  It 
  is 
  larger 
  and 
  much 
  more 
  hand- 
  

   somely 
  marked 
  than 
  the 
  ordinary 
  Brown 
  or 
  Swamp 
  Quail 
  ; 
  

   there 
  is 
  also 
  a 
  marked 
  difference 
  in 
  the 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  birds. 
  

  

  Of 
  the 
  Plovers, 
  the 
  Black-breasted 
  {Zonifer 
  tricolor) 
  is 
  the 
  

   most 
  plentiful. 
  The 
  fine 
  Spur-wing 
  (Lobivanelhis 
  lobatus) 
  is 
  

   confined 
  to 
  a 
  more 
  restricted 
  area. 
  Both 
  the 
  Grey 
  (Squatarola 
  

   lielvetica) 
  and 
  the 
  Lesser 
  Golden 
  {Cliaradrius 
  dominicus) 
  are 
  met 
  

   with 
  in 
  the 
  midland 
  districts 
  fairly 
  plentifully. 
  

  

  I 
  will 
  leave 
  the 
  review 
  of 
  the 
  aquatic 
  species 
  until 
  some 
  

   future 
  date, 
  as 
  my 
  paper 
  has 
  already 
  become 
  of 
  inordinate 
  

   length. 
  I 
  have 
  tried 
  to 
  give 
  a 
  little 
  interesting 
  information 
  

   about 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  found 
  in 
  this, 
  the 
  "Emerald 
  Isle" 
  of 
  

   the 
  south 
  ; 
  but 
  there 
  are 
  others, 
  although 
  not 
  " 
  peculiar," 
  about 
  

   which 
  I 
  would 
  have 
  liked 
  to 
  have 
  spoken. 
  

  

  The 
  subjoined 
  list 
  of 
  birds 
  found 
  in, 
  and 
  about 
  the 
  shores 
  of, 
  

   Tasmania 
  and 
  its 
  dependencies 
  is, 
  to 
  the 
  best 
  of 
  my 
  ability, 
  a 
  

   full 
  and 
  correct 
  one. 
  As 
  I 
  have 
  elsewhere 
  indicated, 
  the 
  list 
  

   will 
  doubtless 
  require 
  modifying 
  and 
  extending 
  as 
  we 
  become 
  

   better 
  acquainted 
  with 
  many 
  species 
  about 
  which 
  there 
  exists 
  

   uncertainty 
  and 
  doubt 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  Accipitres. 
  

  

  Circus 
  assimilis, 
  Jard. 
  & 
  Selby 
  (Spotted 
  Harrier). 
  0. 
  gouldi, 
  Bouap. 
  

   (Harrier 
  or 
  Swamp-Hawk). 
  Astur 
  nova-hollandiee, 
  Gmelin 
  (White 
  Gos- 
  

   Hawk). 
  A. 
  approximans, 
  Vigors 
  & 
  Horsf. 
  (Gos-Hawk). 
  Accipiter 
  

   cirrhocephalus, 
  Vieill. 
  (Sparrow-Hawk). 
  Uroaetus 
  audax, 
  Lath. 
  (Wedge- 
  

   tailed 
  Eagle). 
  Haliaetus 
  leucogaster, 
  Gmelin 
  (White-bellied 
  Sea 
  Eagle). 
  

  

  