November, 1922 
The Queensland Naturalist. 
123: 
Queensland societies interested in natural history have 
already been referred to — the old Philosophical Society as 
the forerunner of the Royal Society, and the Natural His- 
tory Society as the precursor of the Field Naturalists' 
Club. The Royal Australasian Ornithologists’ Union has 
had Queenslanders as members ever since its formation 
twenty years ago — never so many as at present — and on 
two occasions (1910 and 1919) interstate conferences and 
outings have been held in this State. The Central Queens- 
land Native Birds Protection Association has also been 
doing good work, in the protective sphere, for a number of 
years. No society, however, has done so much to encourage 
the protection and study of birds in Queensland as the 
Gould League of Bird-lovers. This body has carried on 
very active propaganda work among the children and 
teachers of the State during the last five years, and it is 
hoped that its influence will be felt to a greater extent 
through the extension of its scope, as a Nature-lovers’ 
League. It was partly due to the efforts of these bodies 
that the Queensland Parliament passed, during the session 
of 1921, an up-to-date Animals and Birds Act, replacing 
the obsolete legislation of 1878 and later. 
What the future holds in store for the birds of Queens- 
land is problematical. It is inevitable that many species 
must fail against civilisation (including the inroads of 
introduced birds), but it may be that many will be saved 
through the gracious influence of National Parks and 
sanctuaries generally. Certainly these native birds are 
worth saving, if only because of their prominence among 
the birds of the world, both in novelty and variety. 
Europe has been very much better explored than Queens- 
land, but, with a slightly larger area, it has at least 100 
species less than this State, and few so beautiful. 
[Since the foregoing paper was written my attention has been 
called to a series of Records of Australian Botanists, collected by Mr. 
J. H. Maiden, Government Botanist of New South Wales, and published 
variously in the Journals of the Royal Society of New South Wales ; 
(1908), the Australian Association for the Advancement of Science 
(1912), and other mediums. Many of the naturalists treated by Mr. 
Maiden were both botanists and ornithologists, and he has, in his- 
indefatigable way, got together many interesting notes concerning them 
from obscure quarters. Some of these follow: Frederick Strange was 
born in Norfolk (England), about 1826, and was killed by blacks at 
the Percy Islands, Queensland, on loth October, 1854. He collected 
first in South Australia, and, in 1841, he “examined all the country 
from Cape Howe to Wide Bay.” ITis son, Mr. F. R. Strange, of 
Sydney, retained possession of many of his ornithological papers. 
