62 



Bird Notes and News 



Books Received. 



The Birds of the District of Geelong, 

 Australia. By Charles F. Belcher 

 (Geelong : W. J. Griffiths). 



As Mr. Belcher remarks in his preface, 

 every county in England, or almost every 

 county, has its local bird-books, written by 

 local men ; but such a local bird-guide has, 

 oddly enough, not hitherto been attempted 

 for any Australian district of corresponding 

 size. This certainly forms one good reason 

 why someone should lead the way, and no 

 one can be better qualified to do so than 

 the author of this interesting volume, whose 

 knowledge of the birds round about Geelong 

 extends over some five-and-twenty years. 

 It is a field-naturalist's knowledge, moreover, 

 due not to an examination of specimens 

 " obtained," but to a true enthusiasm for 

 bird-life and a genuine delight in observing the 

 motions, habits, and songs of birds. Geelong 

 is well placed for the study, having within 

 the 35 miles radius over which Mr. Belcher 

 extends his outlook, plains, rivers, open 

 waters, with reedy swamps and mud-flats, 

 and forest and bush. Consequently, out of 

 the 400 odd species recorded for Victoria as 

 a whole, 244 are here included as resident 

 or visiting. Some addition to the preface, 

 or introduction, commenting on the most 

 plentiful, and also on those believed to be 

 either decreasing or increasing, would have 

 been welcome. The list of contents indicates 

 the large numbers of water and shore birds, 

 a fair number of Accipiters ; representatives 

 of families like the Shrikes, Cuckoos, Fly- 

 catchers, Warblers, and Swallows familiar 

 in Britain, and of others like the Honey- 

 eaters and the Parrakeets of which this 

 country has no representatives, with very 

 few of the Finch or Crow tribes. Of the 

 244 Mr. Belcher gives a pleasant and 

 animated account, often bringing the bird 

 before the reader by some graphic touch ; or 

 by picturesque description of its movements. 

 Possibly the studious ornithologist will ask 

 for scientific and, as it were, official details 

 of the plumage, together with size in inches ; 

 the outdoor watcher, if he had to choose, 

 would infinitely prefer Mr. Belcher's life-like 

 portraits, but at the same time might like 

 to have both. 



It is curious to note that the birds regarded 

 as sacrosanct in Australia — birds in the 

 category which in England would include 

 Robin and Swallow, and perhaps Wren — 

 include, besides the Welcome Swallow and 

 the representative " Laughing Jackass," the 

 Australian Magpie, whose note is " some- 

 thing dearer to the Australian born than 

 almost any other bird-music he might 

 hear." Properly speaking, it is not a 

 song-bird at all, and of song-birds proper 

 Australia has, as is known, but few ; some, 

 however, there are, such as the Reed- 

 Warbler and one or two of the Honeyeaters. 

 It has also a mimic, the Bush- or Crop-Lark, 

 of which Mr. Belcher writes : — 



" Rising abruptly from the growing crop, 

 it soars, with a little original song of its own, 

 to a height of from 100 to 150 feet from the 

 ground, or even higher, with a very quick 

 fluttering movement of the wings. At the 

 top of its flight, still on agitated wings, it 

 begins its series of imitations. The bird's 

 own natural song, which sounds a little 

 like the Skylark's but is not nearly so strong 

 and full, forms the base or undercurrent, 

 and is interposed between all the imitations. 

 Suddenly one hears the cheery double 

 ' sweet-tweet ' of the Swallow, followed 

 shortly by the merry little rippling song of 

 the Tomtit. Then one may get the chatter 

 of the Sparrow in the hedge, the ' too-oo- 

 weep ' of the Quail, or the hurried alarm- 

 notes of the cock Blue-Wren. 



" Other birds I have heard it imitate are 

 the Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Silver-eye, and 

 Skylark. The last was a good effort ; but 

 from the oat-field below shot up suddenly 

 into the blue sky the English singer himself, 

 pouring his heart out until ' all the earth 

 and air with his voice was loud,' and in 

 that flood of melody the Crop-Lark's little 

 strain faded altogether." 



It would be easy to quote many passages, 

 but students of Australian birds, particularly 

 those who wish to seek them on shore or 

 river or among the gum-trees, acacias, and 

 messmate-bushes of the Geelong district, 

 will secure Mr. Belcher's handbook for 

 themselves. It is illustrated by some fifty 

 photographs. 



