Naturalist Note
Night movement in diurnal skinks, by Raymond Hoser

Book Reviews
The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia by Graham Pizzey and Frank Knight, edited by Peter Menkhorst

Tawny Frogmouth, by Gisela Kaplan

If Trees Could Speak, by Bob Beale, reviewed by Leon Costermans

Voyages to the South Seas, by Danielle Clode

Re-discovery of Smoky Mouse Pseudomys fumeus near
Native Dog Flat, Alpine National Park, Victoria
JC Edwards

Abstract
Following the 1996 trapping of a single Smoky Mouse Pseudomys fumeus beside the upper reaches of the Buchan River near Native Dog Flat in the Alpine National Park, a number of attempts to record the species at the site in recent years have been unsuccessful. In November 2006, three individual Smoky Mouse were trapped in the immediate vicinity of the 1996 site. The discovery that the species still persists at the site is significant as Smoky Mouse populations are small and fragmented and there is evidence of population fluctuations and apparent local extinctions. Apart from the Grampians this is the first record of Smoky Mouse from Victoria for four years. This article describes the history of Smoky Mouse trapping and searches at Native Dog Flat and details methods and results of the successful trapping session in November 2006.
Keywords: Smoky Mouse, Pseudomys fumeus, Alpine National Park, Cobberas, alpine areas
The Victorian Naturalist 126 (1), 2009, 13-17

Spider family richness and habitat complexity
Jian DL Yen

Abstract
A survey of spiders was conducted at a location in the Yarra Valley over 8 days to assess the relationship between habitat structure and spider family richness. Four different habitat types were sampled: slightly disturbed grazed pasture, disturbed grazed pasture, open dry forest and dense dry forest. Six different trapping methods were used. Spider families were richer in the more complex forest sites, and less rich in the less complex pasture habitats. When broken down into groups based on hunting strategy, fewer groups were found in the pasture sites, while more hunting strategy groups were present in the forest sites. Non web-building and ground-hunting spiders dominated the pasture sites. These groups were present in the forest sites, but web-building spiders were also found. This is attributed to the more complex vegetation, which provides greater habitat opportunities. The results support the hypothesis that spider family richness is related to habitat structure.
Keywords: spider diversity, habitat structure, hunting strategy
The Victorian Naturalist 126 (1) 2009, 18-22

Contribution

Densities of coastal birds on a semi-remote coastline
in south central Victoria
Mark J Antos

Abstract
A one-off 18 km transect running from Kilcunda to Cape Patterson in south central Victoria was surveyed for coastal birds. This stretch of high-energy coastline has relatively few visitor access points. Eleven species of coastal birds were recorded using the coastline, ranging from the common Silver Gull Larus novaehollandiae through to species of conservation concern such as the Hooded Plover Thinornis rubricollis and Sooty Oystercatcher Haematopus fuliginosus. The density of Hooded Plovers was 0.89 birds/km and compares favourably with reported mean densities from other parts of mainland south-east Australia. This survey provides baseline density data for coastal birds for a relatively pristine stretch of coastline that is subject to development proposals such as water desalination plants and wind farms.
Keywords: Hooded Plover, monitoring, coastal development
The Victorian Naturalist 126 (1), 2009, 23-26