Recent Ornithological Publications. 117 



time in the year, it seems probable that these birds lay up this 

 store of food for their young, which must require a large supply 

 of animal food ; for it has been shown by Dr. Treadwell that a 

 young Robin eats about its weight of worms per diem. 



"Although Woodpeckers are not gregarious, living in pairs 

 and not in flocks, they in this case, from necessity, have to act 

 on community principles ; for it would be difficult for anyone of 

 the birds to identify and defend his particular property, and the 

 worm-harvest must be opeu to the whole community. Here, 

 then, we have a fine example of instructive prevoyance in bird-;, 

 and of provisioa made for their young. Every year millions of 

 acorns are nicely packed into holes in the bark of trees, and 

 even in the wooden ceilings of the porticoes of houses, where a 

 crack enlarged is made capable of receiving an acorn. A lady 

 told me that every morning during the acorn-season it seemed 

 as if a hundred carpenters were at work hammering in the ve- 

 randah of her house, so loud were the strokes of the Wood- 

 pecker's beak." 



9. Australian. 



We had not anticipated that we should so soon have to 

 announce the publication in Australia of an illustrated work on 

 the ornithology of that country. Such, however, is now our 

 pleasing duty ; and it is a noteworthy fact that Queensland, the 

 youngest of the sister colonies, produces the subject of our 

 present remarks*. The author's intention, as announced in his 

 Prospectus, is " to place within the power of all who wish to 

 obtain it, an accurate and useful book of reference at as low a 

 cost as will allow of its being published in a creditable manner." 

 In the Ten parts now before us, this intention is most satisfac- 

 torily carried out. Each part contains six coloured plates, on 

 which are in most cases very fairly depicted one or more birds 

 or parts of birds ; for Mr. Diggles, being desirous of having as 

 many as possible of his figures the size of life, in many cases 

 contents himself with a representation of the heads and shoulders 

 only of his subjects. The letterpress might easily be fuller. 



* TheOniithology of Australia. By Sylvester Diggles. Brisbano, 

 Queensland. Imp. 4to, parts I.-X. 



