﻿Bibliographical 
  Notices. 
  51 
  1 
  

  

  and 
  authentic 
  epitome 
  of 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  Australian 
  birds 
  over 
  

   the 
  continent 
  and 
  adjacent 
  islands. 
  The 
  well-known 
  ornithological 
  

   studies 
  of 
  the 
  Author, 
  extending 
  over 
  the 
  last 
  thirty 
  years, 
  and 
  his 
  

   position 
  as 
  Curator 
  of 
  the 
  Australian 
  Museum, 
  have 
  afforded 
  him 
  

   particular 
  and 
  exceptional 
  opportunities 
  of 
  acquiring 
  the 
  informa- 
  

   tion 
  necessary 
  for 
  the 
  preparation 
  of 
  such 
  a 
  Catalogue. 
  A 
  visit 
  

   paid 
  to 
  the 
  principal 
  European 
  museums 
  whilst 
  acting 
  as 
  Fishery 
  

   Commissioner 
  for 
  New 
  South 
  Wales 
  in 
  Londou, 
  during 
  the 
  Inter- 
  

   national 
  Fisheries 
  Exhibition, 
  enabled 
  Dr. 
  llamsay 
  to 
  exchange 
  

   views 
  with 
  the 
  more 
  eminent 
  European 
  ornithologists 
  on 
  the 
  vexed 
  

   and 
  complicated 
  question 
  of 
  synonymy. 
  

  

  The 
  arrangement 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  work 
  has 
  been 
  ordered 
  with 
  the 
  

   view 
  of 
  affording 
  the 
  fullest 
  amount 
  of 
  information 
  in 
  a 
  limited 
  space. 
  

   In 
  this 
  difficult 
  task 
  the 
  Author 
  has 
  succeeded, 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  admitted, 
  

   with 
  much 
  success. 
  No 
  particular 
  classification 
  has 
  been 
  followed, 
  

   so 
  says 
  the 
  preface 
  ; 
  but 
  in 
  this 
  the 
  Author 
  does 
  himself 
  an 
  injus- 
  

   tice, 
  for 
  without 
  adopting 
  subdivisions 
  which 
  would 
  tend 
  to 
  thwart 
  

   the 
  main 
  objects 
  of 
  the 
  work, 
  the 
  genera 
  are 
  placed 
  in 
  natural 
  order. 
  

  

  Each 
  right-hand 
  page 
  is 
  arranged 
  in 
  tabular 
  form, 
  the 
  species 
  

   being 
  numbered 
  in 
  serial 
  order. 
  From 
  this 
  we 
  learn 
  that 
  701 
  

   species 
  of 
  birds 
  are 
  known 
  from 
  all 
  Australia, 
  including 
  the 
  south 
  

   coast 
  of 
  New 
  Guinea, 
  but 
  exclusive 
  of 
  Norfolk 
  and 
  Lord 
  Howe 
  

   Islands. 
  In 
  1865, 
  at 
  the 
  publication 
  of 
  Gould's 
  ' 
  Handbook,' 
  672 
  

   species 
  had 
  been 
  recorded, 
  but 
  out 
  of 
  these 
  only 
  one 
  strictly 
  new 
  

   genus 
  had 
  been 
  added. 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  column 
  of 
  the 
  tabular 
  matter 
  shows 
  the 
  presence 
  or 
  

   absence 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  in 
  the 
  Australian 
  Museum, 
  with 
  this 
  grati- 
  

   fying 
  result, 
  that 
  630 
  are 
  there 
  preserved. 
  The 
  second 
  column 
  

   affords 
  a 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  most 
  easily 
  accessible 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  

   bird 
  in 
  question, 
  usually 
  Gould's 
  ' 
  Handbook.' 
  The 
  remaining 
  

   columns 
  then 
  show 
  geographical 
  distribution 
  ; 
  but 
  as 
  considerable 
  

   territorial 
  change 
  has 
  taken 
  place 
  since 
  1865, 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  names 
  of 
  

   the 
  Australian 
  provinces 
  convey 
  but 
  an 
  indifferent 
  idea 
  of 
  the 
  dis- 
  

   tribution 
  of 
  a 
  species, 
  the 
  Author 
  has 
  given 
  " 
  the 
  particular 
  localities 
  

   in 
  which 
  most 
  of 
  our 
  large 
  collections 
  have 
  been 
  made, 
  purposely 
  to 
  

   show 
  the 
  spread 
  of 
  certain 
  species." 
  The 
  boundaries 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  

   and 
  the 
  positions 
  of 
  other 
  localities 
  are 
  shown 
  on 
  a 
  sketch-map. 
  In 
  

   the 
  distribution- 
  columns 
  numerals 
  are 
  used 
  as 
  the 
  means 
  of 
  registra- 
  

   tion 
  instead 
  of 
  the 
  usual 
  asterisks. 
  The 
  left-hand 
  page 
  is 
  always 
  

   devoted 
  to 
  notes 
  and 
  references, 
  the 
  latter 
  being 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  

   species 
  by 
  a 
  running 
  number. 
  Separate 
  tables 
  are 
  given 
  for 
  Nor- 
  

   folk 
  and 
  Lord 
  Howe 
  Islands. 
  

  

  We 
  look 
  forward 
  with 
  great 
  pleasure 
  to 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  a 
  

   general 
  work 
  on 
  the 
  birds 
  of 
  Australia 
  by 
  the 
  same 
  author, 
  which 
  

   we 
  believe 
  has 
  been 
  in 
  preparation 
  for 
  some 
  time, 
  and 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  

   present 
  Catalogue 
  is 
  only 
  a 
  forerunner. 
  

  

  In 
  conclusion 
  we 
  heartily 
  congratulate 
  Dr. 
  Ramsay 
  on 
  the 
  appear- 
  

   ance 
  of 
  his 
  useful 
  and 
  complete 
  work. 
  

  

  