348 Recent Ornithological Publications. 



seems a little too sensitive about a mistake of his own (for such 

 he says it was) corrected in this journal by Captain Blakiston 

 (Ibis, 1863, p. 43), who he states "has seen fit to comment, 

 with some impertinence,^^ upon it. Now we have to complain 

 that Dr. Brewer, by omitting any reference to the passage in 

 question, has contrived to cast a slur upon 'The Ibis^ gene- 

 rally, and to place a difficulty in the way of any one desirous 

 of consulting the original, which we discovered only after 

 some considerable search ; for he does not even name the writer 

 of it. Our readers will now be able to turn to it ; and we shall 

 be exceedingly surprised if they find it liable to the charge of 

 " impertinence " which the Doctor brings against it. Of the 

 other ornithological articles contained in this magazine, though 

 locally interesting, there is no particular cause here to speak. 



7. Australasian. 



Five more parts of Mr. Diggles^s work* have reached England 

 since we noticed it {antea, pp.117, 118). The two most re- 

 markable species figured by the author are Casuarius johnsoni 

 and Ptilonorhynchus rawnsleyi, both described as new. They 

 both come from northern Australia ; but we must remark that 

 he fails to show in what way the first differs from C. australis, the 

 existence of which has long been indicated [cf. P. Z. S. 1867, 

 pp. 241, 473, 482) . The second is a magnificent species, quite 

 distinct ; but whether it should be referred to Ptilonorhynchus or 

 Sericulus seems at present doubtful. Mr. Diggles also figures 

 and describes Pitta mackloti,wh\ch he says "is a pei-iodical visitant 

 at Cape York." We cannot help suggesting that the Australian 

 form may be specifically distinct from the true P. mackloti, 

 hitherto only known from New Guinea [cf. Ibis, 1864, p. 106) j 

 and a comparison of Mr. Diggles^s plate with that of Mr. Elliot 

 (Monogr. Pitt. pi. xxii.) shows that this is not impossible; for 

 the Australian bird seems not to have the entirely black throat 

 and cheeks of the Papuan ; and we beg leave to call Mr. Krefft's 

 attention to the matter. 



* The Ornithology of Australia. By Sylvester Diggles. Brisbane, 

 Queensland. Imp. 4to. Parts XI.-XV. 



