38 Reviews. [xstjuiy 



in very good condition, and I am unable to decide definitely upon it. It is 

 at any rate a new species, and a most interesting addition to the Australian 

 avifauna. 



Platyce7-cus macgiliivrayi. North. — Mr. North- has also kindly sent me a 

 specimen of this decidedly new Parrakeet from the Burke District of 

 Northern Queensland, which he has lately described in the Vzctoricui 

 Naturalist (xvii., pp. 91, 113). The sex is not recorded, but from Mr. 

 North's description I suppose it to be a female. It was obtained at 

 Cloncurry, near Normanton. The species belongs to the group of P. 

 barnardi, which, however, I am not inclined to separate generically from 



Platycercus. 



* * * 



The interest pertaining to the formation of an Australasian 

 Ornithologists' Union has been far-reaching. Of his own 

 volition, that distinguished savant Dr. Paul Leverkiihn, 

 Director of the Scientific Institute and Library of His Royal 

 Highness the Prince of Bulgaria, has been good enough to send 

 a letter, dated "Palace of Sophia, 6th March, 1902," conveying 

 " sincere wishes to your brethren ornithologists," &c., together 

 with a budget of papers and pamphlets, chiefly from his own 

 pen. Among these may be mentioned — " Ornithological Ex- 

 cursions," "A Journey to Finland," " The Hoopoe" (Natural 

 History of the Birds in Middle Europe) ; an ornithological 

 monthly journal, edited by the German Association for the Pro- 

 tection of Birds^ — contents of the second 12 years ; " Protection of 

 Birds in England," " The English Sparrow in North America," 

 " List of Books of the Ornithological Society of Munich ; " 

 Oologic, an international organ for the promotion of this science ; 

 Ormtho/ogze, besides twenty-five other papers of more or less 

 interest. 



Reviews. 



CATALOGUE OF BIRDS' EGGS. 



["Catalogue of the Collection of Birds' Eggs in the British Museum (Natural 

 History). Vol. i. — Ratitse. Carinatse (Tinamiformes — Lariformes)." By Eugene 

 W. Oates. London : Printed by order of the Trustees, 1901. 8vo, pp. i.-xxiii., 



1-252.] 



Persons who imagine that collecting birds' eggs is a pastime 

 on a par with the acquisition of obliterated postage stamps will 

 be surprised to find that so great an institution as the British 

 Museum has a collection exceeding 50,000 specimens in its 

 charge, and considers this branch of ornithology of sufficient 

 importance to devote a special descriptive catalogue to its 

 oological collection. The first volume of this work has just 

 been issued, under the direction of Dr. Ray Lankester, and 

 deals with 520 species belonging to the Ratitcc and Carhiat(£, 

 which, as the preface states, is " about one-third of the total 

 number of living or recently extinct birds " enumerated 



