vol.xxviii.j Covyespondence. 99 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



THE LOWAN, OR MALLEE-HEN. 



To the Editor of the Victorian Naturalist. 

 Sir, — In reading the extremely interesting lecture by Mr. 

 J. A. Leach, M.Sc, on " The Birds of Victoria " in the Decem- 

 ber number of your journal, I was somewhat surprised to 

 learn that the young Lowan chick never knows its jiarents. 

 Although I have never seen the small, young chickens and the 

 old Lowans in company, my many years' rambling in the haunts 

 of these remarkable birds has quite satisiied me that the young 

 chick does know its parents. In the first place, after the 

 young chicks have made their escape from the nesting mound 

 they do not wander far, as their fresh little footprints may 

 be plainly seen around the nesting mound and in the vicinity 

 for many weeks afterwards. Now, as the parent birds keep 

 in the neighbourhood of their nesting mound throughout the 

 nesting season, the young Lowans must necessarily often meet 

 their parents. If Mr. Leach can explain to me how it is that 

 the young Lowan cannot recognize or know its parents he will 

 greatly enlighten me on the matter. According to my obser- 

 vations, when once the young chicks are out of the mound 

 the old birds do not assist them to seek their daily food, as 

 the young ones are quite capable of looking after themselves. 

 I have known a young chick to pick up bread crumbs that were 

 thrown upon the ground within two hours after I had taken 

 it out of the nesting mound. — I am, yours, &c., 



C. M'LENNAN. 



BOOK NOTICE. 



Australia in its Physiographic and Economic Aspects 

 By Griffith Taylor, B.A., B.Sc, B.E., F.G.S. 263 pp. 

 (7i X 5), with 60 figures in the text. Oxford : The 

 Clarendon Press. 191 1. 3s. 6d. 



The author, who was formerly Lecturer in Economic Geography 

 in the University of Sydney, and is now Physiographer to the 

 Commonwealth Meteorological Bureau (though at present 

 acting as geologist to Captain Scott's Antarctic Expedition), 

 has succeeded in producing a highly interesting account of 

 Australia from a physiographic and economic point of view. 

 The volume forms one of a series of Oxford geographies, edited 

 by Dr. A. J. Herbertson. In his introduction the author 

 rightly complains of the small space usually given to Aus- 

 tralia in leading geographies and atlases as compared with 

 countries which, as regards the British Empire, at any rate. 



