Australian Natural History. 1473 



NATURALIST'S CALENDAR FOR OCTOBER. 



Birds. — In this month the winter birds arrive in rapid succession. Redwings ap- 

 pear in abundance in the first week, and fieldfares soon follow, being generally here by 

 the middle of the month. The brambling (Fringilla montifringilla), the siskin (Car- 

 duelis spinus), and the snow bunting (Plectrophanes nivalis) arrive. The brambling is 

 particularly partial to beech-nuts, and may sometimes be seen in immense numbers in 

 beech woods. Wherever alders skirt the margins of streams, the siskin is almost sure 

 to be found feeding upon the seeds, often in company with goldfinches and redpolls. 

 The snow buntings principally frequent the coasts, feeding upon the seeds of the 

 plants growing upon the shore. The waders are to be seen in vast flocks, and the 

 pigmy curlew, dunlin, sanderling, and ring dotterel are often associated together. The 

 purple sandpiper is more often found singly, or only in small companies, and gray plo- 

 vers, principally young birds of the year, are not uncommon on many parts of the 

 coast. 



Insects. — Although the Lepicloptera begin to decrease in numbers, yet many spe- 

 cies may now be found. The sword grass-moth (Calocampa exoleta) now emerges from 

 the chrysalis, and lives through the winter in the perfect state. The beautiful Miselia 

 Aprilina also appears, and many other Noctuce, as Glcea spadicea, Mecoptera satelli- 

 tia, Orthosia Lota and the rare Agrotis saucia. The death's-head moth (Acherontia 

 Atropos), the largest European lepidopterous insect, is now on the wing. The com- 

 mon and beautiful feathered thorn-moth (Himera pennaria) is found in every wood, 

 and Oporabia dilutata may be taken in profusion. Many small moths may also be 

 found, and some of the larger dragonflies yet remain. — Henry Doubleday ; Natural- 

 ist's Almanack for 1845. 



An Account of Rainess Islet, on the N.E. coast of New Holland. 

 By John MacGillivray, Esq. 



On May 29th, 1844, we reached Raine's Islet in H. M. S. " Fly," 

 and commenced landing the materials requisite for the erection of a 

 beacon on the N.W. end of the island, as a guide to vessels making 

 the Great Barrier Reef from seaward. Having remained upon the 

 Island for the space of a month, in order to procure specimens of the 

 various objects of Natural History, I give the following abstract of my 

 observations. 



From an unknown depth, a detached coral reef of an irregularly oval 

 form rises in the centre of an opening, eight miles wide, in the line of 

 the Great Barrier Reef, having at its windward extremity a sandy 

 islet in lat. 11° 36' S. and long. 144° 07' E. This, in dimension, 

 bears but a small proportion to the reef which supports it, being only 

 about one mile in circumference, of an oblong shape, running S.E. 

 and N.W. The structure of the island is simple, and may be thus de- 

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