14 
Japan it will nest, just as the cherry- 
blossom is losing its pink petal. Mr. 
C. Belcher, in Donald Macdonald’s 
"Nature Notes,” asks if any observation 
later than March 1(J of this year has been 
made in Victoria. Here is one in higher 
latitude. 
The voice of the cuckoo we missed. 
No longer this autumn will its semi' 
tones be heard, simply because it is 
quickly passing across the Strait' into 
the dassian sub-region of Australia, it 
would be interesting to know just how 
far it ascends into low latitudes, and if 
North Queensland is one terminus of its 
annual migration. Another question 
arises! Are the Bassian and Torressian 
areas the migratory course of Cuculus 
inornatus of Tasmania? A great quan¬ 
tity of Australian data on the migration 
of its birds is needed. As this forth- 
comes, so will a knowledge of their 
economic value. A knowledge of their 
routes would be valuable, just as trade 
routes; but. as with wireless telegraphy, 
we need to be tuned’to their travelling 
calls; to have the seeing eye, and the 
analyst’s hand, before we come into pos¬ 
session of facte in relation to food. 
Away flew a cuckoo shrike (Orauoalus 
parvirostris), a strictly Tasmanian sub¬ 
species, because of ite smaller bill. We 
found it still In its nesting ground. 
Here, again, our knowledge of distribu¬ 
tion is much too limited. In Victoria 
the species journeys north into Queens¬ 
land every autumn. What does the Tas¬ 
manian sub-species do? Does it fall in 
with the rule that the further noith 
birds migrate, the further south they 
travel on their return in the spring? 
This would bring hack the flocks of onr 
small billed sub-species, and them alone. 
How very necessary to Tasmania is this 
unwritten law of the insectivorous birds. 
The geological map of Mr. R. M. John¬ 
ston shows the eastern half of the island 
to be granitic. It is here we expected 
to see the spotted ground thrush, and we 
did find it. It rose with its quail-like 
burr. 
About the centre of Hie island, and im¬ 
mediately north of Oyster Bay (China¬ 
man’s Bay), is situated a swamp that 
offers cover and food for certain water 
birds. I was unable to examine this 
depression, but a well-informed resident 
(Mr. McCulloch' tells me he often secs 
the black-backed coot (Porphyrio melano- 
tus). now considered by Mr. Gregory 
Mathews as a sub-species P. in. fleteheri, 
in honour of a Tasmanian lady. 
The various watercourses, though short, 
were indicated by the dusky fantail and 
little tit to be permanent. 
Upon Mr. Bre 11 i n g h a m - Moo re’s pro 
perty at Darlington that useful bird, the 
yellow-tailed tit, was doing duty in a 
flock. This species always gives the 
country an atmosphere of civilisation. 
So does the imported starling. We 
saw a flock. At this end of the island 
its mission is for good, as it helps the 
grass outgrow its enemy the insect. It 
it here that sheep benefit. 
We saw magpies of two kinds, robins 
of three kind.-, ducks of four kinds, and 
honey-eaters of six kinds. 
There were quite large flocks of the 
parrot peculiar to Tasmania (Pla 1 ycercus 
browni), and we heard of a black cocka¬ 
too. 
In the early hours of the night the 
call of boo-book passed over the camp; 
the spotted owl was calling to ite mate. 
There were a few species of sea buds 
to be seen. Close by the wonderland of 
fossil beds in the north-east sailed the 
majestic sea eagle. At this time the 
laud form, our largest eagle, was spirally 
soaring along Mount Maria. 
Still nearer to these fossil beds we saw 
the Pacific gull and its cousin, the silver 
gull. Upon the beach was a solitary 
pied oyster-catcher, while further down 
the sand beach was a sooty oyster- 
catcher. 
Standing on a broken ledge of fene- 
stella was a pied cormorant. The se¬ 
cond species was observed in Chinaman s 
Bay, 
Altogether 59 species are now recorded 
as found in the island. With the ex¬ 
ception of those marked *, they were 
identified by the writer. Those marked 
- wen identified by Mr. Elliott and Mr. 
McCulloch. Mr. E. A. Elliott observed 
the firetail and the white fronted heron. 
The list is as follows: — 
Short-tailed petrol (Putfinus tenuiros- 
trisi, white-capped albatross (Thalasso- 
geroit cautus/, sooty albatross (Phce- 
betria fuligiiiosa). Pacific gull (Gabianus 
pacifieusi, silver gull (Earus novie-hol- 
1 and ire i, crested tern (Sterna bergii), 
white-breasted cormorant (I’halaerocorax 
gouldii, pied cormorant (P. hypoleucus), 
gannet (Sula serrator), fairy penguin 
lEudyptula undine;, black swan (Cheno- 
pis atrata), black duck (Anas euper- 
ciliosa v 'shoveller (Spatula i hyncliotis), 
blue-billed duck (lirismatura australis), 
musk duck (Biziura lobata), white¬ 
breasted oyster-catcher (Hrematopus 
longirust ris i. sooty oyster-catcher (H. 
fuligiuosusi, white-fronted heron (Noto- 
phoyx novie-hollandire), “baldcoot (Por¬ 
phyrin melanotus), spur-winged plover 
(Xobivauellus lobatus;, wedge-tailed eagle 
(T’roaetus audax). white-bellied sen eagle 
(Haliretus leucogaster), harrier (Circus 
sp?), spotted owl (Ninox maculate), raven 
(Corone australis), hill crow-shrike (Stre- 
