Recent Ornithological Publications. 197 



Mr. Tristram^s book, though not strictly an "ornithological 

 publication," contains frequent references to the "feathered 

 tribes," and moreover a zoological appendix, in which a full list 

 of the birds of the Sahara is given, we feel bound to allude to it 

 in our quarterly record of the events which relate to ornithology, 

 and we take the opportunity of recommending its perusal to all 

 (whether learned or unlearned in birds) as an instructive and 

 amusing account of a region hitherto seldom penetrated by 

 European travellers. We sincerely hope, also, that the success 

 which, as we understand, the present work has already attained 

 may induce Mr. Tristram to carry out his plan of giving us a 

 second volume on the Regency of Tunis without further delay. 



Some apology is owing from us to Dr. George Bennett for 

 not having before made mention of his ' Gatherings of a Natu- 

 ralist in Australasia*,^ containing, as it does, many ornitholo- 

 gical notices, the greater number of which, however, have already 

 appeared in the 'Proceedings^ of the Zoological Society. The 

 work is illustrated by several beautiful plates, two being of birds : 

 the one by Mr. Angas, the well-known draughtsman at Sydney, of 

 that rare species the Australian Jabiru [Mycteria australis); the 

 other, from Mr. WolPs inimitable pencil, of the Mooruk(CV/sMarms 

 bennetti), so often mentioned in these pages, and the discovery of 

 which is due to the learned Doctor's zeal. It is indeed much to 

 be wished that more of our brethren dwelling in the land of the 

 Southern Cross would interest themselves in natural history, as 

 the author of this work has done, and that speedily ; for the 

 Australasian fauna is doubtless about to undergo considerable 

 changes, owing to the efforts now being made to people the 

 Antipodes with European species. 



A peculiar feature of Australian ornithology is the extraordi- 

 narily sudden and hardly yet accountable appearance of birds, 

 often in great numbers, in particular districts where they had not 

 before been seen, and their equally strange and total disappear- 

 ance after a period generally short, but occasionally of consider- 



* Gatherings of a Naturalist in Australasia, &c. By George Bennett, 

 M.D., F.L.S., F.Z.S., &c. London: J. Van Voorst, 1860. 1 vol. 8vo, 

 pp. 456. 



