38 
The Emu. 
discovered by either the writers or the energetic collectors 
employed by them, have been of the utmost value to avifaunistic 
workers. 
There is so much to be learnt about the geographical 
distribution of the birds of our great Island Continent that it is 
to be hoped the pages of The Emu may be enhanced from time 
to time with lists of birds, not only from the little-known 
regions of the area in question, but from the already well- 
worked districts of the various States, the time of the year that 
the observations are made being always an important factor in 
determining the movements of species. 
The foregoing remarks in connection with The Ibis have been 
made in order to recommend a basis for our own work, and have 
naturally led to the consideration of what The Emu should be. 
I don't think that we shall be wrong in maintaining that no 
efforts should be spared by those who arc undertaking the 
editorship of our journal to make it a worthy contemporary of 
TJie Ibis, and that it should be conducted, with the means at our 
disposal, on as close lines as possible with it. We may not be 
able to command the artistic talent that is connected with the 
parent journal, but no effort should be spared to make the 
illustrations as good as possible, as it is certain that they will go 
as much towards popularizing the journal as the subject matter 
of its pages. Resource will, no doubt, be had to photography, 
as it has been seen how excellently this class of illustration has 
served the purpose in Mr. A. J. Campbell's recently published 
work. But, in addition, hand-coloured or chromo-lithographs 
from drawings by good artists should be introduced as much as 
our means will allow; and I see no reason why specimens should 
not from time to time be sent home to Keulemans, who would, 
no doubt, forward to us the completed plates, the articles dealing 
with them, meanwhile, being held over till their arrival. 
A most important point as regards the work of the y\us- 
tralasian Ornithologists' Union will be the extension of the 
sphere of our observation over as wide an area beyond the 
purely Australian " region " as possible. 
The greater the geographical area dealt with in our journal 
the more will its perusal commend itself to foreign readers, and 
at the same time an extension of our biological knowledge will 
result from this policy. The " region " thus set apart for our 
investigation should, I think, include the more adjacent islands 
of the Malay Archipelago, including New Guinea and the large 
groups of islands to the north-east associated with it, extending 
thence south to New Caledonia and eastwards to Fiji, and finally 
finishing off with that interesting ornithological " district " New 
Zealand. The study of Australian ornithology must of necessity 
be incomplete without the inclusion of the Malayan and Oceanic 
" regions " above enumerated, in which so many interesting 
allied genera and species occur, and, on the other hand, the 
