Voi.Xviil.-| A Valuable Gift to the R. A. O.U. 237 



Mr. Mathews is to be congratulated on the time, energy, money, 

 ability, and persistency with which he has followed his great and 

 \\orthy purpose — to produce a fully-illustrated, up-to-date, reliable, 

 and complete reference work which will assist future scientific in- 

 vestigators of Australian ornithology to conduct their research 

 with the " fewest comphcations." So thoroughly has he done his 

 work, and so persistenth* has he followed every doubtful point, 

 that finality appears to be approaching rapidly. With the 

 hundreds of changes made by Mr. Mathews, little in this 

 direction will be possible for the ornithologist of the future. Mr. 

 White has been heartily thanked for making available to our 

 members this mass of up-to-date information concerning the 

 birds themselves and the full, clear statement and criticism of 

 the literature concerning each species. 



Correspondence. 



{Continued from p. 217.) 



" THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA " (MATHEWS). 



To the Editors of " The Emu." 



Sirs, — As The Emu is purely for science matter and not for 

 commercialism, it is with the greatest reluctance I pen these lines. 



Mr. Gregory M. Mathews, in the preface of vol. vi. of his great 

 work, " The Birds of Australia," has interfered in a difference I 

 had with his publishers in the columns of The Australasian, and 

 accuses me of untruthfulness in a place where I cannot defend 

 myself — to wit, in his own book. Therefore, in self-defence, and 

 as an office-bearer of the R.A.O.U., I crave your indulgence for 

 a brief reply. 



Whether I did, or did not, believe that the work would be 



completed in eight volumes at a prospective cost of £yo," the 

 fact remains that vols, iii., v., and vi. (the one in which Mr. 

 Mathews takes me to task) have each been increased one part — 

 i.e., each vol. has been increased two guineas over and above the 

 amount given in the prospectus. What, then, does Mr. Mathews 

 mean when he states that " my subscribers do not pay for this 

 extraneous matter — I do all that " ? 



The publishers apparently rely on a short line in their prospectus 

 to save the situation as regards extra parts : — " Other volumes 

 wall be, so far as can be seen, as follows." But subscribers claim 

 that this innocent sentence of doubtful grammar can also be 

 construed in their favour. A volume, when completed, may 

 contain a part less " so far as could be seen " at first. But " so 

 far " subscribers have paid for three, if not four, extra parts at 

 £2 2s. each, with the promise of more extra parts to follow, seeing 

 that the work is yet far from completion. That, sirs, is my case. 

 In the matter of extra parts and cost I liold two letters from 

 subscribers to Mr. Mathews's work — one in Tasmania, the other 

 in Queensland — both strongly backing my complaint. 



