236 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



upon the heads of several species a price is set, and a stated amount is 

 paid by the Government (through the Stock and Pastures Protection 

 Board) for all scalps which are brought to them. In compliance with 

 these conditions during 1900 the scalps of 122,855 Kangaroos, nearly 

 1,000,000 Wallabies, and 12,708 Dingoes (I do not include these last 

 amongst our " poor harmless indigens"), in addition to the Hares and 

 Pigs already mentioned, were brought in and paid for. It will be quite 

 evident tbat this cannot go on for ever. 



Leaving the mammals, and turning to the birds, we find that the 

 English Starling, the Indian Maina, the Goldfinch, the Bullfinch, the 

 Lark, and very many others (not forgetting the almost ubiquitous 

 Sparrow) are rapidly spreading throughout the land, while the Ostrich 

 is being bred here and in South Australia for the sake of its plumes. 



In my last communication to ' The Zoologist ' (1900, p. 355), 

 I mentioned an instance where a " Bronze-wing Pigeon " (Phaps 

 chalcoptera) flew aboard the disabled steamship ' Perthshire " when she 

 was about five hundred miles from the Australian coast. This calls to 

 memory another case of a somewhat similar character. Mr. George 

 Hutton, of the K. M.S. ' Omrah,' has informed me that recently, 

 while this steamer was making one of her periodical trips from London 

 to Sydney, they had left Colombo some hours when they discovered a 

 Crow (gen. et sp. ?) flying above the ship. This bird accompanied them, 

 to Australia, resting on the ship at night time, or when fatigued. This 

 appears to me to be rather a unique occurrence ; is it not so ? — David 

 G. Stead (Arncliffe, Sydney). 



