Recent Ornithological Publications. 133 



to believe that, as the country becomes more thoroughly explored, 

 the list will be considerably augmented;" meanwhile, consider- 

 ing the rage for acclimatization, we fear the number will be con- 

 siderably diminished. Even now Mr. Buller tells us that Cotur- 

 nix novcE-zelandia is " fast disappearing," and is only met with 

 in the unfrequented parts of the South Island, having become 

 almost, if not quite, extinct in the North. 



The * Proceedings of the Philosophical Society of Sydney ' 

 contain a paper, read on the 5th of July, 1865, by our contri- 

 butor Mr. E. P. Ramsay, " On Australian Oology,'^ which is 

 illustrated by a plate admirably drawn by Miss Helena Scott, 

 well known to entomologists as one of the artists of the ' Austra- 

 lian Lepidoptera,' and as admirably coloured. The species 

 treated of are Pomatorhinus temporalis, P. super ciliosus, Xantho- 

 mtjza phrygia, Ptilotis fiisca, P. avricomis, Sisura inquieta, Eo- 

 psaltria australis, and Micrceca macroptera, respecting the breed- 

 ing-habits of all of which very full details, and figures of one or 

 two specimens of their eggs, are given. Egg-seekers may wish 

 that many more species would take the one last named as their 

 model; for Mr. Ramsay says, "anyone accustomed to birds* 

 nesting can tell in a very short time whether the birds have a 

 nest or not ; and when this fact is settled, nothing is easier than 

 to watch the birds until they go to it." The author gives, in the 

 case of Xanthomyza phrygia, another instance of the peculiarity 

 possessed by many Australian birds of occasionally absenting 

 themselves for a time from a particular locality where they had 

 before been abundant, and then visiting it again in immense 

 numbers. It may be a tolerably safe conjectui-e to suppose that 

 such irregular movements have relation to the plenty or scarcity 

 of food ; but the subject is one that would bear a good deal of 

 investigation, and we doubt not Mr. Ramsay will give it his best 

 attention whenever the opportunity offers itself again. 



