^"I'g^Js""] ^'^^'^^ '^"^ Notices. 213 



longer legs than others, and some had much darker feathers ; 

 indeed, one specimen in Breslau was almost black on the 

 back ; but they are only varieties of the ordinary form. 

 In Paris I saw the type specimen of D. peroni, the extinct 

 form of Kangaroo Island, and consider it a good species, its 

 feathers being considerably longer than the mainland variety, 

 besides being darker in colour and smaller in size; it is difficult 

 to judge its age. 



In passing through Rotterdam, Antwerp, Hamburg, Berlin, 

 Breslau, and Vienna, I was only able to inspect the Zoological 

 Gardens in these cities, but in both the Berlin and Vienna 

 Gardens I noticed many Australian birds, which were thriving, 

 some having been in captivity for many years, but they all 

 looked the picture of health. A list of the Australian birds at 

 the Breslau Gardens appears elsewhere.* At Venice I saw 

 the usual sight of the thousands of Pigeons at St. Mark's-square ; 

 when being fed by the public with grain they often alight on 

 the hands, shoulders, &c., of the feeders, showing how tame they 

 are. In London the number of tame Pigeons is also very large, 

 and they nest on many public buildings, such as Parliament 

 Houses, Westminster Abbey, the Law Courts, &c. At Rome 

 two Eagles are kept in captivity by the steps leading to the 

 ruins of the old Roman forum ; also two wolves near, in 

 remembrance presumably of Romulus and Remus. I was told 

 that they had lately found the tomb of these two latter, and saw 

 the excavation. In the Zoological Gardens at Giza, about half- 

 way between the Pyramids and Cairo, I saw many forms of 

 European birds, and in these gardens Night-Herons roost 

 during the day, and at night go to the river flat to feed, in 

 exactly the same way in which the wild Night-Herons {N. 

 caledonicus) do in the Melbourne Zoological Gardens. They 

 also have three specimens of that curious Stork the Shoebill 

 {Balceniceps rex). Many Purple Gallinules {PorpJiyrio coeruleus) 

 were noticed in the flooded fields near the town. Pelicans and 

 Flamingoes were seen, as usual, in great numbers in the swamps 

 bordering the canal, and hosts of smaller water-fowl, including 

 Dottrels, Plovers, Stints, &c., &c., but too far oft" to distinguish 

 clearly. On coming into the Southern Ocean three species of 

 Albatross were seen following the steamer — the Royal, 

 Wandering, and White-capped— but the first-named was the most 

 plentiful. — D. Le Souef. Melbourne, 20/3/08. 



Publications Received. 



Auk, The, XXIV., Parts 2 to 4, 1907 ; XXV., Part i, 

 1908. 



AviciiUural Magazine, The, A[)ril to Dec, 1907 ; Jan., Fei)., 

 1908. 



* .See [<. I go. 



