^°';^^"-J Stray Peathers. 49 



pair of Pipits in a newly-ploughed paddock, and on the i8th 

 again, at the same place, feeding in company with White-fronted 

 Chats {Ephthianiira albijrons) and Robins. During last week 

 also I noted a solitary Pipit on two occasions, so that a few 

 stragglers have remained, as usually happens. Mr. H. C. 

 Thompson heard a Fan-tailed Cuckoo [Cacomantis rujnliis) calling 

 on 19th May, near Launceston, but on the coast none has been 

 observed by me since April. 



The White-bearded Honey-eater {Meliornis novce-hollandice) 

 frequents the Cape wattle of our gardens during the winter 

 season, and, as this tree is now in full bloom, it presents a scene 

 of great animation in the day, with the lively movements of this 

 fine species, sometimes chasing away a Spinebill {Acanthor- 

 hynchus tenuirostris) or a Fantail {Rhipidura diemenensis), or 

 dashing through the branchlets after one of its own kin. There 

 is a male in splendid plumage which sits on the topmost twig of 

 a weeping willow that adjoins the wattle in the early morning 

 sunshine, from which point of vantage he makes frequent sallies 

 to catch insects, which begin to fly as the sun's warmth moves 

 them. 



While in a clump of small bush in the middle of May I noticed 

 a party of Strong-billed Honey-eaters {Melithrephis validirostris), 

 a species I had not seen about Devonport for a considerable time. 

 The birds were engaged in running up the stems and branches of 

 small gums, hunting for insects and spiders under the loose bark, 

 and looked very engaging with their black caps and white neck- 

 rings. — H. Stuart Dove. 8/6/12. 



Forgotten Feathers. 



lewin, "birds of new holland, 1808." 



By Gregory M. Mathews, F.R.S.E. 



In 1808 there was published by J. White, Fleet-street, a book on 

 Australian ornithology, its full title being : — 



" Birds/of/New Holland/with their/Natural History/Collected, 

 engraved, and faithfully painted after nature/by/ John William 

 Lewin, A.L.S./of Parramatta, New South Wales./ Vol 1/ 

 London/printed for the Author ; /and published by/J. White, 

 Fleet Street ; and S. Bagster, 81 Strand/1808/ The letter-press 

 by T. Bensley, Bold Court." 



This work contained 22 pages of letter-press and 18 plates. 

 The plates (except No. 9), published as the Act directs, have a 

 date (different days of March, 1808), and "J. W. Lewin, New 

 South Wales." They are numbered with Roman numerals, 

 except plates 3 and 15, which are in Arabic figures. 



At the head of the letter-press to each plate is a Latin name, 

 given, as we are told on the title page, by T. Bensley. Lewin is 



