131 
VoI ’i 924 IV ] GIBLIN, Greater Acteeon Island 
Huia should not be rediscovered in some of these out-of-the- 
way places. 
It is my intention to spend a few weeks on these ranges next 
summer to try to settle the question. 
Of the introduced birds, perhaps the Song Thrush ( Turdus 
philomelos) is the commonest. They have spread almost all over 
the ranges, and their nests can be found from the bottoms of 
the gullies to the mountain tops. 
Occasionally the Blackbird (Turdus merula) will be seen, 
but not so high up as the Thrush. They are generally about the 
edge of the bush, very often, I daresay, coming and going be¬ 
tween there and the homes of the settlers, of which there are 
several in nearly every valley, some quite close to the bush. The 
Hedge Sparrow ( Prunella modnlaris), one of the most useful 
of the introduced birds, is fairly well distributed throughout the 
ranges, on this side at all events, and the pretty little Redpoll 
(Linota rufescens) can often be seen and heard in most of the 
valleys. The Goldfinch ( Carduelis carduelis ) does not go far 
into the bush, usually about the edge on the clearings, where 
thistles provide it with the food it likes. I he Greenfinch 
(Chloris chloris), like the Goldfinch, prefers the edge of the 
bush and clearings to the heavy bush, although it is seen occa¬ 
sionally right back on the riverbeds of the mountain streams. 
Notes on a Visit to the Greater Actaeon 
Island, South Tasmania 
By Dr. W. W. GIBLIN, R.A.O.U., Hobart. 
Many years ago the late Colonel W. V. Legge, R.A., F.G.S., 
Sometime President, R.A.O.U., gave me a copy of the notes he 
had contributed to the Royal Society of Tasmania on the breeding 
of some sea birds on the Actteon and adjacent islands. 
These notes proved so interesting that it has ever since been 
my wish to visit this spot. It was not, however, until the early 
part of this year that the opportunity of doing so occurred. 
The present state of bird life on the Greater Actteon, as 
compared with what obtained when Colonel Legge visited it 
thirty-seven years ago, is of interest. It serves as a basis in 
estimating the result of the collection of the eggs and the young 
of the Mutton Bird. This has been carried out from time to 
time by parties from Southport and the neighbourhood, who 
collected eggs and young birds for their own use. I have heard 
of no “professional” mutton-birding taking place here. 
The Actteon Islands, situated at the southern outlet of the 
D’Entrecasteaux Channel, consist of two islands and surrounding 
