Recently published Ornithological Works. 169 



17. North on the Insectivorous Birds of New South Wales. 



[A List of the Insectivorous Birds of New South Wales. By Alfred 

 J. North, C.M.Z.S. (Dept. of Agricult., Sydney, Miscall. Publ. No. 128. 

 1897.] 



Mr. North continues his list (with notes) of native in- 

 sectivorous birds drawn up for the Agricultural Department 

 of the Government of New South Wales (see 'Ibis/ 1897^ 

 p. 279), from the 61th to the 103rd species. Four coloured 

 plates contain figures of Malurus melanocephalus, M. cyaneus, 

 Acanthiza nana, A. chrysorrhea^ ILphthianura aurifrons, 

 E. albifrons, Mirafra horsfieldi, and Anthus australis. 



18. Oliver's Translation of the Voyages of the Sieur D. B. 



[The Voyages made by the Sieur D. B. to the Islands Dauphiue or 

 Madagascar and Bourbon or Mascarenne in the years 1669-70-71 & 72, 

 translated and edited by Captain Pasfield Oliver, late R.A. London : 

 Nutt, 1897. 1 vol. 8vo. 160 pp.] 



Capt. Oliver has now published his translation of the 

 voyage of the Sieur D. B., on which he has been engaged 

 for some time (see ' Ibis/ 1896, p. 393) . When Strickland 

 first mentioned the existence of this work he did not know 

 the real name of the author nor that it had ever been 

 printed, but quoted a MS. copy belonging to the Zoological 

 Society of London. This was, however, merely a transcript 

 of the original, which is a rare duodecimo volume published 

 by Bardin at Paris in 1674. The book will delight the lover 

 of ancient travels, and is specially interesting to ornitho- 

 logists as containing one of the few existing accounts of the 

 Bourbon Solitaire and other birds of that island as Sieur 

 Dubois saw them in 1670. We transcribe the passage about 

 the Solitaires {Didus{?) borbonicus, Salvad. Cat. B. xxi. p. 635) 

 for the benefit of our readers : — 



" These birds are thus named because they always go alone. 

 They are as big as a big Goose, and have white plumage, 

 black at the extremity of the wings and of the tail. At the 

 tail there are some feathers resembUng those of the Ostrich. 

 They have the neck long, and the beak formed like that of 

 Woodcocks, but larger ; the legs and feet like those of 



