60 THE WOMBAT. 



of sulphate of iron, while with a weak ammonia solution part 

 of the colour may be removed, thus forming white clouds ; in 

 a similar way various colours may be obtained in a portrait 

 negative, such as a green dress, a blue or bjack background, 

 &c. ; in fact all the colours obtainable on the paper may be 

 secured on one print by a judicious brush work, so that a wide 

 field is opened up for artistic treatment. 



NOTES ON THE BIRDS OF THE 

 GEELONG DISTRICT. 



By C. F. Belcher, B.A. 



I. — The Honeyeaters. 



The Geelong district may be regarded as fairly repre- 

 sentative of the bird-life of the colony. Within easy reach of 

 our town we have a great deal of bush land ; wide stretches 

 of grassy plain ; undulating lightly-timbered country ; and 

 lastly, a river and lake region. All of these show great variety 

 in the forms of bird-life. The bush along the Queenscliff 

 road and the part of the Otway Forest that fairly lies within 

 a radius of (say) 30 miles from the town, give ample opportu- 

 nity for noting the birds that love the quieter places, such as 

 the flycatchers and robins, the shrikes and thrushes ; the 

 plains to the north and west are the home of the plover, and 

 the larger birds of prey, as the hawks and eagles ; while the 

 Barwon river and Connewarre lakes attract many species of 

 duck, coot, and other waterfowl all through the year. 



The Queenscliff road bush extends from near Portar- 

 lington on the north to Ocean Grove on the south ; and it is 

 by far the best observing ground we have in the district for 

 birds ; some 80 or go species are known to breed within its 

 limits. 



South of this bush and the Connewarre lakes is a belt of 

 more open country with salt lagoons at the eastern end, like 

 Lake Victoria, and with a good deal of ti-tree. This is rich 

 in birds of the genera Acanthiza and Sericornis — the scrub tits. 

 Turning westwards we come upon sheoak country, south of 

 the Barwon Heads road, and further west still lies the Grass 

 Tree Plain, an excellent ground for the careful naturalist. 

 Here, too, we meet the Otway Poorest at its extreme eastern 

 part, and again we come upon bird-life somewhat similar to 

 that of the Queenscliff bush, but there are also species not 

 found in the latter place, such as the bristle-birds. North of 

 the coast scrubs there is no forest land proper, but open 

 country with patches of timber mostly near the creeks, as at 



