zig3. SOME NEW BOOKS. 469 
Birds and Water-fowl from his pen, and now we have the smaller 
work before us. In his preface, the author tells us that the idea of 
the work occurred to him about a dozen years ago, since which date 
he has been assiduously collecting material, and, accordingly, with 
the numerous other works on the subject for his guidance, it ought to 
be as near perfect as possible. It might be thought that by this time 
the subject of British birds was well-nigh exhausted, but as Mr. 
Dixon’s work treats solely of those species nesting in the British 
Islands, and is mainly confined to their nesting habits, it will doubt- 
less filla void and command a ready sale, more especially as the 
larger works of Morris and Seebohm, treating more or less specially 
of eggs and nests, are too expensive for many purses. Like all Mr. 
Dixon’s productions, the work before us is well and pleasantly written, 
and the amateur naturalist, as well as every young person interested 
in this fascinating study, cannot do better than forthwith provide him- 
or herself with a copy. 
Of course we miss illustrations, but as figures of eggs are not of 
much use unless coloured, the cost of plates would have made the 
book so expensive as to have defeated one of the objects of its pro- 
duction, and the student must accordingly do the best he can without 
their aid. In regard to classification, the author may be ranged 
among the “‘ lumpers,” seeing that he puts all the non-diving ducks 
in the genus Anas, and employs the genera Charadrius, Totanus, 
Scolopax, etc., in a wide sense. Considering, however, that there is 
but an interval of some two months between the date of publication 
of the present work and the one on Game- Birds, it seems rather a pity 
that he could not have definitely made up his mind what names he 
was going to employ, as it is rather puzzling to the beginner to find 
the Dotterel alluded to in one work as Charadrius morvinellus, and in 
the other as Eudvomias morinellus. Moreover, a little more attention 
to the index at the end of the volume would have been desirable, 
seeing that the word ‘‘ snipe”’ is omitted therefrom. The mention of 
snipe reminds us that we consider Mr. Dixon to be wrong in persis- 
tently stating that the common species is not gregarious, although we 
are fully aware that the individuals do not mass together after 
the manner of ruffs and plovers. No one who has shot in a 
Bengal “jhil,” with snipe rising as thick as flies all round him, 
can ever possibly think of these birds as being anything else but 
gregarious. 
All these points are, however, but trifling blemishes in a volume 
which leaves nothing to desire in the way of “‘get-up,” and fully, 
deserves all the success we can wish it. RY 
THE GEOLOGY AND PAL#ONTOLOGY OF QUEENSLAND AND NEw GUINEA, with 68 
plates and a geological map of Queensland. By Robert L. Jack, F.G.S., 
F.R.G.S., Government Geologist for Queensland, and Robert Etheridge, Junior, 
Government Palontologist (New South Wales). 4to, Pp. xxx. and 768. 
Brisbane: James Charles Beal. London: Dulau & Co., 1892. Price £2 2s. 
In Europe we scarcely realise how much good scientific work is being 
done in our Australian colonies. Geology in particular is well 
studied, for the prosperity of these colonies is so largely dependent 
on their mineral resources, and it is so essential in an arid region to 
understand where water can be obtained by artesian borings, that 
considerable sums are willingly devoted to the making of careful 
