^"I'gf."] Review. 285 



accurately, both with pen and camera, the doings of a little group 

 of birds whose fascination to him has been supreme." " The 

 Home Life of the Terns " is a book which deserves high praise. 

 The 32 full-page plates, which are mounted on artistic brown paper, 

 form a fine gallery of bird pictures. Some of the photographs 

 show birds on or near the nest ; others depict young birds and 

 eggs. The most attractive studies are those of Arctic and 

 Common Terns with their beautiful wings expanded. It is 

 pleasing to read, in the chapter on the Sandwich Tern, that the 

 whole area of the Ravenglass Gullery, Cumberland, where some 

 of the photographs reproduced in the book were obtained, is now 

 strictly maintained as a bird sanctuary. The plume-hunters are 

 not allowed to plunder eis they wish in every locality. 



Bird Observers* Club. 



The monthly meeting of the Bird Observers' Club was held on Wednesday, 

 24th September, 1912, at the residence of Mr. G. A. Dyer, " Harpley," 

 Barkly-street, North Fitzroy. In the absence of the president, Mr. J. A. 

 Ross occupied the chair. The chairman welcomed Mr. R. Walton to the 

 meeting. The revised rules of the Club were read, and, after a few minor 

 alterations had been made, they were adopted. It was decided that each 

 member should be supplied with a copy of the rules. Mr. F. E. Wilson 

 read a paper entitled " Notes on Victorian Maluri.' At the conclusion of 

 the paper several members contributed interesting notes. Mr. C. P. Coni- 

 grave spoke of birds met with during his recent exploration trip in the 

 north-west of Australia. Mr. Kershaw exhibited an interesting series of 

 eggs collected during the voyage of the Discovery in the Antarctic seas 

 between 1901 and 1904. The eggs were as follows : — King Penguin 

 {Aptenodytcs paiagonica), Adelie Penguin {Pys;-osccles adelie)., Royal Penguin 

 {Catarrhacles scJilezeli)^ M'Cormick Skua i^Megalestris uiaccor7)iicki)^ and 

 Snowy Petrel {Pelagodroma nivea). Mr. F. E. Wilson exhibited skins of 

 Maluri in illustration of his paper. 



The monthly meeting of the Bird Observers' Club was held at the 

 residence of Mr. O. W. Rosenhain, " Koala," Balaclava-road, East St. Kilda, 

 on 13th November, 1912. Mr. A. H. E. Mattingley, C.M.Z.S., occupied the 

 chair. Mr. L. G. Chandler, the hon. secretary, read a letter from Mr. H. 

 Witherby, editor of Briiish Birds, and exhibited samples of aluminium bird- 

 rings forwarded from England. The chairman congratulated Dr. J. A. 

 Leach, upon whom the degree of Doctor of Science was recently conferred. 

 Dr. Leach, in responding, outlined the work which he had done in regard 

 to the classification of birds. His thesis was entitled "'The Morphology of 

 the Strepera." The result of his work indicated that other systematists had 

 placed this family in the wrong position. A letter was received from Mr. R. 

 Godfrey regarding the destruction of bird-life in distincts where poison was 

 laid for rabbits. Mr. A. C. Stone said that he was satisfied that poison 

 never eradicated rabbits. Mr. L. G. Chandler mentioned a case that had 

 come under his notice, in which two valuable horses had been poisoned by 

 bait laid for rabbits. The subject was discussed by several members, and 

 it was decided that an effort be made to obtain the bodies of some poisoned 

 birds. By analyzing the contents of the stomachs of specimens sent in the 

 Club would be in a position to prove that the laying of poisoned baits for 

 rabbits was inimical to bird-life. Mr. R. Walton was elected a member of 

 the Club. The resignation of Mr. C. W. Wilson was received with regret. 

 Mr. Wilson, in a letter, stated that pressure of business prevented him from 



