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Report of the committee, consisting of the Rev. H. Atkinson, Dr. R. H. Perks, Colonel Legge, F.L.S., M.B.O.U., Messrs. Barnard, A. Zietz, M. S. Clark, A. Morton, F.L.S., A. J. Campbell, F.L.S., C. W. De Vis, M.A., F. Cheeseman, F.L.S., A. J. North, F.L.S., and H. Thorpe, Professors W. Baldwin Spencer, M.A., F. W. Hutton, F.R.S., T. J. Parker, F.R.S., Sir James Hector, F.R.S., and Dr. E. C. Stirling, F.R.S, (Secretary).

[Drawn up by Messrs., , , and .]

The need, for numerous reasons, of an acceptable "Vernacular List" of Australian Birds' names was first mentioned at the Hobart meeting of the Science Association, 1892.

The following year, at the Adelaide meeting, a committee was appointed to deal with the matter—Vide vol. V of the "Proceedings," p. XXII.

The committee was found to be somewhat large, and, as the list was to be purely an Australian one, the New Zealand members were not consulted.

Colonel Legge (Tasmania) and Mr. A. J. Campbell (Victoria) were deputed by the secretary of the committee to draw out a preliminary list. After considerable research by these two gentlemen the list was compiled, principally on the lines indicated in Colonel Legge's memorandum, published in vol. VI (Brisbane, 1895), p. 445, and was forwarded to Adelaide, August, 1894.

The list was then considered and finished, 30th November, 1894, by the south and western committee at Adelaide which approved generally of the principles laid down in the preliminary list and made the following suggestions:—That the final list be issued in tabular form with reference to Gould's Nos., in addition to the scientific and vernacular names; that, where scientific names have been altered, the older or more familiarly-known terms be retained in brackets; and that if any species appearing on existing lists be omitted, a reason or reference should be stated for such omission.

On the 11th December, 1894, or one month prior to the opening of the next (Brisbane) Congress, the list was forwarded to Mr. A. J. North at the Australian Museum as representative of the New South Wales committee. Mr. North delegated his power to

.—This list was adopted by The Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science, at the Sydney Congress, 1898, the basis of the classification being taken from the "Catalogue of Birds," of the British Museum, in the order the volumes appeared, excepting No. XXVI, which is still unpublished.