THE WOMBAT. 



Mentioning these northern migrants, it will be noticed 

 that some of the birds have arrived unusually early this season. 

 The first snipe was shot at Heatherton, between Cheltenham 

 and Dandenong, on the 27th of last month (July), breaking 

 the earliest record by a week. There is a greenshank in Dr. 

 Snowball's collection which must have been also shot about 

 that date, while, on the 21st inst., I saw a knot amongst a 

 bunch of double-banded dottrels from Gippsland. 



You may be anxious to learn how the vernacular list of 

 names of Australian birds is progressing. It has passed 

 through the various sub-committees, and is ready for presen- 

 tation to the science association at its Sydney meeting in 

 January for adoption or otherwise. Mr. Edward Degen, at 

 some considerable trouble, not to mention the tax upon his 

 time, is wading through the British Museum Catalogue of 

 Birds (26 volumes), and is taking therefrom the classical 

 nomenclature of the Australian species, so that, when our 

 vernacular names are published, the accepted scientific names 

 will appear alongside. 



Very good work in the oological field was performed last 

 year, chiefly on account of the commendable enterprise of Drs. 

 Charles Ryan and Snowball and Mr. D. Le Souef in securing 

 Mr. Harry Barnard's services to work the Cape York region, 

 with the gratifying result that several species of eggs new to 

 science were found. The most important finds were the nests 

 and eggs of Albert's rifle-bird and the manucode— both of the 

 beautiful bird-of-paradise family. There were also nests and 

 eggs of three rare flycatchers — white-breasted (frill-necked), 

 yellow-breasted, and broad-billed — while a variety of the 

 brush turkey (Talegallus) has been established, and a robin — 

 the white-faced — found, which has hitherto only been recorded 

 for New Guinea. 



Mr. G. A. Keartland, too, has done good ornithological 

 field-work, notwithstanding the unfortunate fate that overtook 

 the Calvert exploring expedition. We commend him for the 

 heroic endurance he displayed on that terrible journey, and 

 sympathise with him in the loss of the greater part of his 

 ornithological and oological collections, which were abandoned 

 in the desert. However, Mr. Keartland has reason to be. 

 thankful that he escaped the pathetic fate of two of his less 

 fortunate companions— Messrs. Chas. F. Wells and G. L. Jones. 



With regard to future field work for this season, if all be 

 well, Mr. Tom Brittlebank and my son propose spending the 

 best part of two months in the " Big Scrub" of the Richmond 

 River district, a most fascinating field. Mr. H. Barnard will 

 probably go north again, while Mr. Alex. Morton, of Hobart, 

 has commenced a collecting tour in the great western territory. 



