I astern Water Ral (V/v(/uimv\ 



i k/ysogosttr) 



Flinders Island — I he National 

 Museum of Victoria lias one speci- 

 mcn obtained fiom tins island in 

 1914. It is number C 4S47. 1 saw this 

 species twice on Flinders Island in 

 l%5, The lirst sighting was by White- 

 mark letiy and the second at Patri- 

 archs' Inlet. 



WVm Sister Island — The South 

 Anstialian Museum has .1 specimen 

 ol I aslein Water Rat Irom this 

 island. It was lodged at the Museum 

 in late 1929 or carlv 19 M) and is 

 iiumhci M 1892 \ I' I Ailkcn, pets 

 conin.t. I he limsl ivcciil rccoid ol 

 this species foi Wesl Sister is loi 

 about I960 when a fishing boat crew- 

 man eauglii 6W(S m glU liaps set lot 

 Red-hclhed I'adcmeli.iis (Ivan ( ham 

 hcrlain, pers. eoinm.l. VVatei R.tls 

 were seen recently on Cat Island 

 (II. I Hammond, pets. euium.i .md 

 were seen on Prime Seal Island dut- 

 fog the l'*:Os and 1930$ i Frank Jack- 

 son, pers. comm ) 



Rabbit iOiscwhivin Ltiuuiilus) 



Rabbits w e r ft introduced to 

 C laries Island in about Itfy (W. A. 

 Riddle, pers. comm.). They were 

 common when I visited the island in 

 December I MM. 



Hare ILfytN eioo/meio i 



I saw Hates on West Sister Iskuul 

 during a number ol \isits Irom I9hc> 

 lo 1969. 



Feral Cat I / W/v < ,iws) 



Fetal Cats appear lo he one ol the 

 most successful iniroductions to the 

 Fuiileaux. Group. 1 ha\e seen them CNI 

 Last Sister. Uahel. Hinders. Little 

 Cireen, Great Dog, tape Barren and 

 Clarke's Islands. Tbev are reported 

 from Utile Dog M:md ( I) N Brown, 



pers comin ). Mount C'happell K| ;u ,^ 



ir. <. Marion inr„ peis. camnsj 



und they were very common tin 

 Pj i ni Si .'I Island m the 1930s and 

 I'.MUs (Frank Jackson, pers comma 



Co!*t I t SIONS 



Del nils ate given ol |hc present 

 laiirc in Hit I iiiiicaus ( noup of | C .|, 

 marsupials, one moi.oticmc .md seven 

 placenlals (live of which arc non 

 Australian species.) Die pus, nee i,( 

 a monolrcme on one island, and g] 

 marsupials on some islands, is £h0ftn 

 10 be the lesull of delibeiale intro. 

 duelioil. 



Minders Island, the laic.es! island 

 in the Group, is shown to have the 

 rifthtfjil niaisnpi.il fauna comprising 

 QtyfaJ species l-asl Kannatoo Island 

 I I I I ;iun| is Ihe smallest island loi 

 which a inaisupiaJ, vi/. Red bellied 

 I'adeuiLloii. has been recorded sinci- 

 tlie discovciy of the Group. Red- 

 bellicd Pademelons have become 

 extinct on seven of Ihe Ihincen 

 islands for which they Were recorded 

 in die early nineteenth century llass 

 Strait Wonihatv have, since the dis- 

 covery ol the Group, become esltnct 

 on the two smaller islands, vi/ 

 Clarke's (about 28*000 acres I an,! 



( ape Barren f»&»V! MQJWO wm] 



ol llien forma ranjje. 



The widespread distribution of 

 IVt.il C al and House Mouse slickest- 

 ih;it these species have occupied prc- 

 viouslv unfilled niches m the islands 

 ecosystems. The eaplute of Ship's 

 Rais ..n MOtffln Vlunio. C ape Barron 

 Island, suggests ihat this speeds has 

 also occupied an unfilled niche. These 

 Ihree ruin Australian species W 

 prohablv more widespread than the 

 lecoids given above would indicate. 

 \s well. I tbmk thai they aic UVctv 

 to spread as opportunity olleis. R 

 any suitable islands which ihw hau 

 not yet colonized. 



284 



V,<l Nat Vol 88 



