To add to the confusion of registration dates v birth dates, looking for children born in the 1860's in Victoria (Australia), I found one child registered twice - she was born on 25 Feb 1865, her mother registered her birth on July 12, 1865 and her father registered her birth on 20 Jan 1866! The actual location of birth and ages for mother and father varied slightly between the two registrations, but since both were illiterate it isn't too surprising. On the same registry pages, there were several other children registered months after their birth. I wonder if the Registrar carried out spot checks - perhaps rather like the census collectors - asking at each house or tenement in the street if there are any babies there who had not been registered. Sandra Researching Joy/Joyce, Buckley and Hicks from Listowel - Tralee area.