52 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



portion under notice, pages 37-120, deals with the Bower-birds 

 (continued), Orioles, Wood-Shrikes, and Cuckoo-Shrikes, 

 embracing altogether thirty-one species, though it is remarked 

 that the nests and eggs of Newton's and the Tooth-billed Bower- 

 birds are still unknown to science. Good illustrations are given 

 of the bowers of the Spotted and Great Bower-birds, and among 

 other noteworthy illustrations are the nest and eggs of the Cat- 

 bird, the nest of the Rufous-breasted Shrike-Thrush, and a 

 peculiarly situated nest and egg of Jardine's Caterpillar-eater. 

 The part includes three plates of eggs, figuring some sixty 

 specimens, which in the coloured edition faithfully reproduce 

 the natural appearance of the eggs. The author, Mr. A. J. North, 

 C.M.Z.S., and the illustrator, Mr. N. Cayley, are to be congrat- 

 ulated on the successful carrying out of their respective parts. 



"A Monograph of the Culicid^ or Mosquitos." — The fact 

 that malaria and some other diseases are communicated by 

 Mosquito bites has led to the concentration of a considerable 

 amount of attention on the Culicidse. The necessity of 

 identifying the different species was, of course, felt, and it was 

 then realized that, as a matter of fact, this branch of work had 

 been much neglected in the past. Several important monographs 

 have appeared on the anatomy of certain species, and there has 

 just been issued by the British Museum "A Monograph of the 

 Culicidse or Mosquitos," which will make the study of the family 

 simple in comparison with what it once was. The author is Mr. 

 F. V. Theobald. The work is in two volumes of the size and 

 appearance of the well-known British Museum catalogues, and is 

 accompanied by a volume of coloured plates. The family does 

 not seem to be extensively represented in Victoria, though doubt- 

 less further species will be discovered on a more careful search. 

 We notice, however, Culex frenchii recorded as a new species. 



"The Emu." — The July number (vol. ii., part i) of this 

 publication contains a number of interesting ornithological articles, 

 two of which are illustrated, while under the title of " Stray 

 Feathers " a variety of notes relating to birds are gathered 

 together from all parts of Australia. Mr. A. J. Campbell 

 furnishes a report on the Mutton-bird "rookeries" at Phillip 

 Island, which he visited at the end of March last. Six of the 

 seven existing rookeries were examined, four of them being found 

 in good order, but the other two seemed to have been somewhat 

 depleted by egg-gatherers and birding parties. A copy of the 

 report was forwarded to the Chief Inspector of Fisheries, who 

 administers the Game Act, and on his recommendation it has 

 been decided to close the Red Cliff and Nobby rookeries for four 

 years from September next, and to require egg-gatherers at the 

 other rookeries to register their names with the local assistant 

 inspector. 



