136 
Dipt era. 
Musca australis , new sp. 
In addition to the official account of the voyage of the “ Astro-' 
labe,” Dumont d’Urville wrote a popular account of King George’s*; 
Sound in his “Voyage Pittoresque autour du Monde.” This account: 
does not add anything to our knowledge of the fauna of the locality. 
The fear of French annexation of the Western and Southern; 
coasts of Australia had already caused General Darling, then Gov- 
ernor of New South Wales, to draw the attention of the Secretary , 
of State for the Colonies to the possibility, and to ask that steps 
be taken to avert it. 
In consequence, Darling was directed to take steps to form a 
settlement at King George’s Sound, and on November 8th, 1826, the 1 
colonial brig “Amity” sailed from Sydney having on board Major 
Lockyer in command of a party for this purpose, consisting of a 
detachment of the 39th regiment under Captain Wakefield, a surgeon i 
and 24 convicts. 
The “Amity” reached the Sound on Christmas Day, and a settle- 
ment was formed on the site of the town of Albany. This little penal I 
settlement remained in existence till March, 1831, when the convicts \ 
were withdrawn and the district placed under the control of the 1 
Swan River Colony, which had been established in the interval. 
Major Lockyer returned to Sydney in April, 1827, and what 
little we know of the early history of Albany is derived from his 
diary. From this the following references to animals are extracted: 
“Kangaroos are numerous and of large size, one that was shot 
weighed 751bs. after the inside had been taken out. The only animal 
except the kangaroo that was met with was the wild native dog. 
The islands along the Southern Coast are more or less fre- 
quented by the black or fur seal. The coast also abounds with the 
sperm whale and they have not as yet been molested. 
Black swans, wild geese, ducks, musk ducks and teal, pelicans, 
curlew, red bills, sandpipers, and a number of other water-birds 
are plentiful. 
The islands on the coast and vicinity of King George’s Sound 
are frequented by penguins and mutton birds. The latter can be 
taken in any quantities that may be required and are an excellent 
substitute for fresh provisions. In the months of September and 
November their eggs, which are very good and as large as those of 
ducks, are to be had in great quantities. Even in January some 
that we brought from the Eclipse Island, and of which I partook, 
were not at all inferior to duck eggs. 
Black and white cockatoos were seen with a great variety of 
parrakeets, with also a great variety of small birds that sing very 
prettily, but I did not observe any with particularly handsome 
plumage. 
