42 
The Emu. 
Campbell and myself, with the object of giving all our species 
English names, as in other countries where our language is 
spoken. 
Reference to the work done by ornithologists in the Southern 
Hemisphere would be incomplete without notice of the valuable 
labours as regards New Zealand avifauna of Sir W. Buller, 
who published his valuable quarto work, illustrated by Keule- 
mans, in 1878, and further extended our knowledge of the birds 
of that country by the issue, in 1887, of his splendid second 
edition, in two vols. 
We have now to turn to the subject of the field of investiga- 
tion, labour, and research which is open to the members of the 
Union. The vast region comprised in Australia and the con- 
tiguous sub-regions which have been brought to your notice in 
the foregoing remarks, offers an almost boundless treasury of 
ornithological knowledge. It may be said that, in spite of the 
work done by the numerous writers and naturalists aforemen- 
tioned, the ornithology of Australia in some directions has only 
been cursorily dealt with, for the territory is a vast one, and the 
observers, proportionately to its area, have as yet been few. We 
must therefore look forward to much new work being done by our 
Union. Speaking generally, we all admit, I think, that the study 
of the natural history of birds is one of never-failing interest. 
They are the most interesting of all the great classes " or 
divisions of creation. The beauty of their plumage ; their at- 
tractive mode of life and habits ; their nidification, so fascinating 
to the oologist ; their mysterious instinct of migration, only 
vaguely understood — all these tend to make the study of this 
great Class a most captivating one. And here, in Australia 
future close observation and inquiry cannot fail to bring to light 
many new points of interest in connection with our lesser-known 
species. 
To allude first to one great Order which I know is a favourite 
with many of our members — I refer to the Limicolai — there 
exists in it alone, without going further, a wide field for research. 
The position of our continent, lying immediately to the south of 
the vast Asiatic breeding haunts of the Waders, affords these 
birds a very extensive region for winter migration, beyond which 
the vast Southern Ocean stops their flight. Consequently typical 
Asiatic species travel down to us in fair numbers, some reaching 
farther south than others. At the same time we have as winter* 
visitants in our summer season not a few of those interesting 
globe-wanderers which, for lovers of this "order," always have a 
peculiar fascination. These are the Turnstone, the Common 
Sandpiper {Tringoides hypoleucos) ; the Grey Plover, Knot, 
Sanderling, and the Curlew Stint. Further, we are visited, by 
way of Oceania, by those interesting American species Heter- 
actttis incaniis and Bartramia lo7igicauda. In connection with 
* Used in connection with the breeding season of the species. 
