136 Recent Literature. [f£* 



in all parts of Australia. Each species will be illustrated from drawings 

 by the best bird-artists available, and the plates will be carefully hand- 

 colored. 



An examination of Part I shows that the character of the work as an- 

 nounced in the prospectus has been well sustained. Of the plates, it is 

 enough to say that with one exception, all have been drawn by J. G. Keule- 

 mans, and the text is well up to date. The bibliographical references are 

 reasonably complete and the nomenclature modern; there are keys to the 

 genera and species, and the descriptions (in small type) are very full, 

 including those of the downy chick (when known), as well as of immature 

 and fully adult birds, and of the nest and eggs. This is followed (in larger 

 type) by the general account of the species, including its literary as well as 

 its life history, with copious extracts from standard authorities. The 

 account of the Emu thus occupies ten pages, and that of the Mallee Fowl 

 twelve pages, while a couple of pages suffices to tell the little that is known 

 of several of the species of Turnix, or so-called quails, the life histories 

 of which are still almost unknown. 



Mr. Mathews seems to be well prepared for his great task, having lived 

 all his life in Australia and been a devoted student of its avifauna. In 1908 

 he published a 'Hand-list of the Birds of Australia' as a preliminary to the 

 present illustrated work, and is in touch with a large number of field orni- 

 thologists in various parts of Australia from whom he is constantly receiving 

 valuable observations hitherto unpublished. He also has the hearty co- 

 operation of Dr. Ernst Hartert of the Rothschild Museum at Tring, who 

 will render important aid in the technical and historical aspects of the work. 



The illustrations, it is announced, will be by H. Gronvold, J. G. Keule- 

 mans, E. E. Lodge, and other noted bird draughtsmen. The part now 

 under notice is a guaranty of the excellent character of the work, and we 

 wish the author every support and the success this immense undertaking 

 surely deserves. — J. A. A. 



Bird Enemies of the Texas-fever Tick and other Ticks. — Mr. Robert 

 New stead of Chester, England, who has made numerous specific, hence 

 valuable contributions to economic ornithology, maintains his satisfying 

 standard in some observations * on the enemies of Ticks in Jamaica. 

 While Gosse, 2 Taylor, 3 Ober, 4 and others record the fact that the Tinkling 

 Grackle {Quiscalus crassirostris), and the Parrot-billed Blackbird (Croto- 

 phaga ani) feed upon cattle ticks, with the exception of Ober, they content 

 themselves with evidence derived from the testimony of others or from 

 merely watching the birds. Newstead, however, by means of post mor- 

 tems gives us definite information regarding the species and the numbers 

 of ticks eaten. He briefly treats other items of food also. 



1 Bull. Jamaica Dept. Agr.. Vol. I, No. 3, 1910, pp. 161-165. 



2 Birds of Jamaica, 1847, pp. 284-285. 



3 Auk, IX, 1892, pp. 369-370. 



* Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., (1878) 1879, p. 193. 



