THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
of the Mallee Country of Victoria and South Australia, the peculiarities 
of the BeUenden Ker Range, and the extraordinary Onslow (West Aus- 
tralia) bird-life, and ventured to prophesy the discovery of many more 
such in the great extent of unknown Australia. While that List was in 
the press, through the enthusiasm of Dr. W. Macgillivray, another “ island ” 
— ^which promises to be one of the, if not the, most interesting discovery 
of recent Australian ornithology — ^has been brought to light. I refer to 
the country around Pascoe River, North Queensland, where Dr. Macgilhvray 
sent his collector, Mr. J. MacLennan, and which has yielded the most 
unexpected and extraordinary results. For the receipt of a Parrot of the 
genus Geo^royus accompanied by another of the genus Eclectus cannot 
be regarded as anything else save extraordinary. These two genera are 
composed of conspicuous birds not otherwise represented on the Austrahan 
continent and which do not occur at Cape York. Their absence from 
Cape York, the nearest point to New Guinea, emphasises the “ island ” 
character of the Pascoe River district, and many more delightful discoveries 
may be anticipated. I have also put on record the receipt of a species 
of Gldbicera, a large Fruit-Pigeon from North Queensland — another genus 
hitherto unrepresented in the Australian avifauna. I have described 
Spiloglaux howeri from the Bowyer-Bower collection. This is a bird quite 
unlike the almost universally distributed Australian species S. hodbooh, and 
resembles a species from the islands off the coast of New Guinea. 
I am here making note of these, to urge upon Austrahans the 
immense possibilities open in the study of their avifauna, and would 
once again draw attention to the wonderful work being accomphshed by 
Captain S. A. White. As most Australians know. Captain White has 
made collections throughout South Australia, working out the distribution 
of the avifauna in a most skilful manner. He has made lengthy and 
expensive journeys into Eyre’s Peninsula, worked through Kangaroo Island, 
and investigated the Gawler Ranges, as well as minor trips. I am 
remarking on these in this place, as though a few scant field-notes have 
appeared in the Emu, the full value of Captain White’s investigations 
will not be fully shown until the Passerine birds are treated in this 
work, when the distribution of many species will be clearly expressed by 
means of Captain White’s specimens. Captain White’s latest expedition on 
this account must be here mentioned, as he has during the past year 
penetrated right into the interior of Austraha and made collections in 
the Macdonald Ranges. These specimens will confirm and amphfy the 
results of the famous Horn Expedition, and elucidate many of the 
problems of distribution indicated by the fewer specimens brought back by 
XVI. 
