0 M_rob^sh*s- 



Distribution ol Mmt„,ms bentur.ltis and M. rohnstus in the northern N.I. 



Naturalists in Bass Strait 



by A, H. Chisholm 



Although The Liurutitrc <>l Atts- 

 , m lum Hints, by H. M. Whittell 

 il<)54). is an extremely useful biblio- 

 graphy, and although its compiler un- 

 covered numerous worthwhile items 

 that had fallen into obscurity, it has 

 a) |c»si one entry that is remarkably 

 inadequate. This relates to the work 

 of Donald Macdonald. who for many 

 vcirs was a distinguished nature and 

 general writer on the stall' of the 

 Melbourne ArgUS, 



Very surprisingly on the part of 

 such a diligent and conscientious 

 woikcr. Major Whittell not only over- 

 looked Macdonald's books ( hint 

 lionets md Wattle Blount (18S7) 

 and the posthumous volume The 

 Rmoks of Mornin$ (193?), each of 

 which contains significant icfercnees 

 to birds; but he failed also to record 

 the many ornithological articles 

 which Mac wrote— in addition to the 

 highly useful columns of Nature 



fcbru.iry, 1971 



year 



the 



Notes — from 

 A ri;us. 



I am reminded of this matter by 

 the fact that, as in the case of 

 Whittell, the authors of a recent sub- 

 stantial paper on certain islands of 

 Bass Strait (Vict. Nat., Dec. 1970), 

 also appear to be unacquainted with 

 relevant articles written by Mac- 

 donald m the Amis during 1 L >0X 

 Their author obtained his material as 

 a member of the Ornithologists- 

 Union party, which from 24 Novcm 

 ber (1908). spent a rewarding fort- 

 night touring Bass Strait m a special 

 steamer. 



The titles of the Macdonald 

 articles arc: "The Life of the Sea". 

 •Caiinets ol Ihc Bass", and "An 

 Island Race" All three are lengthy 

 and, as a matter of course, all arc 

 thotoudilv readable and informative. 

 Indeed, they fired my youthlul en- 

 thusiasm so strongly that I caretullv 



43 



