White-breasted mesite forest. The population of this species is declining and is projected to continue doing so. It is sensitive to disturbance, and its forest home is threatened by logging and forest fires. It is also subject to hunting pressure. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has classified the conservation status of this bird as ″vulnerable″. White-breasted mesite The white-breasted mesite ("Mesitornis variegatus") is a ground-dwelling bird endemic to Madagascar. One of three species in the mesite family, Mesitornithidae, it is classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It has a small population and is restricted
New Ireland (island) a French nobleman, attempted to establish a French colony on the island called New France. He sent four ill-fated expeditions to the island, the most famous of which caused the death of 123 settlers. From 1885 to 1914 New Ireland was a part of German New Guinea and bore the name "Neumecklenburg". Germans managed several highly profitable copra plantations and built a road to transport the goods. This road is currently in service and is named the Boluminski Highway after the German administrator of German New Guinea, Franz Boluminski. After World War I New Ireland was ceded to Australia. Australia