^°''fq?o^"] ^^^^^ Notice. 159 



smaller work, "The Native Plants of Victoria," is a great de- 

 sideratum. The first part of this work, illustrated by wood- 

 cuts, was issued in 1879, ^^^^ deals with the dicotyledonous 

 plants as far as the Nyctagineae in a very helpful way. It was 

 followed by " The Key to the System of Victorian Plants," issued 

 in 1887-8, which has remained the student's hand-book up to the 

 present time, though by no means an easy book for the beginner. 

 The volume under notice illustrates the difficulties of the botanical 

 writer, from the fact that of the nineteen names on the plates printed 

 nearly forty years ago only nine stand at the present time, numerous 

 alterations having been made by various authorities ; thus the well- 

 known spring flower, for many years known as Wurmhea dioica, 

 goes back to its former name of Anguillaria dioica. Opportunity 

 has been taken to add such popular names as have been pro- 

 visionally adopted by the Plant Records Committee, the Anguillaria 

 being given the vernacular name of " Early Nancy," which at any 

 rate has the merit of being shorter than the name " Harbinger of 

 Spring," which is now in frequent use among school children. It 

 is almost unnecessary to say that the volume has been well 

 produced at the Government Printing Office. 



Our Singing Birds.— The following notes are taken from an 

 article by " F. R.," in the Australasian of 8th October last. It has 

 often been asserted that Australian birds are songless. " F. R." 

 says : — " Just now the bush is full of singinj^ birds, and I know 

 several favourite bird haunts where the morning choruses with the 

 first break of day are almost deafening. Even my own garden is a 

 bower of singing birds. This morning, through the open windows of 

 my bedroom, I heard magpies, a thrush, a pair of P^ufous Thick- 

 heads, a Brown Fantail, half a-dozen Blue Wrer.s, and a Goldfinch. 

 The Goldfinch, of course, is an imported bird, and does not count. 

 But I was interested in comparing his song with that of his native- 

 born competitors. The song or carol of the magpie, heard on a calm 

 spring morning, is delightful music ; and how anyone can refer to it 

 as ' noise,' and wish to shoot the author of it, quite passes my com- 

 prehension. There is a depth and richness in the magpie's carol which 

 lifts it above the song of any of the rest of our birds, except the 

 thrush. The thrush possesses the same kind of richness ; and the 

 deep, flute-like nature of its notes makes it easily the first of our 

 singing-birds. But I would place the magpie a good second. The 

 Butcher-bird, also, has a rich, full note, though not of the same 

 refined quality as that of the thrush. The thickhead's song is of 

 quite a diff"erent tpye, delightful and varied though it is. Indeed, it 

 is the variety that is one of the chief charms of the thickhead. 

 While listening to the bird you never know what note is coming next. 

 Its song is loud, clear, sweet, and penetrating, and I have sat and 

 listened to it for an hour at a time. In the depths of a deserted 



