178 Review,. [Jj,,_ 



Reviews. 



[" Friends and Foes in llie Austialian Bush." My Edward S. Sorenson, author of 

 " Life in the Australian Backblocks," " Quinton's Rouseaboul," &c. Illustrated 

 by F'.rnest E. Barker, K.A.O.U. Whitcombe and Tombs Ltd., London, Melbourne, 

 Christchurch.] 



This well-illustrated and interesting volume consists of i8 

 chapters, each dealing with an Australian animal. The subjects 

 are chosen so as to give the general reader a good idea of some of 

 the remarkable members of the unique fauna of this " island 

 continent." Ten of the chapters deal with birds. These are 

 entitled " Spotty, the Bower-Bird," " Jack, the Kookaburra," 

 " Bluey, the Wren," " Crane and Jabiru," " Marriang and Wadgie, 

 the Emus," " Curlew and Mopoke," " Narran, the Lyre-Bird," 

 " Gweela, the Brush-Turkey," " Maggie, the Magpie," and 

 " Karaway, the Cockatoo." Each deals with the life and habits 

 of the chosen bird in a delightfully interesting manner. Usug-lly 

 an account of the relatives of the central figure is also given. 



The writer is evidently a lover of birds and the bush, and, with 

 the assistance of the artist, lures the reader on until he has reached 

 the last page. Some of the names used for the animals treated 

 are local names, and the bird-lover may at times experience 

 difficulty in recognizing the bird described. The proof-reading is 

 hardly up to the general standard of the work. Though author 

 and artist evidently gave the correct vernacular name of the 

 vegetable-eating phalanger, as possum, the mistake has been 

 made of printing " opossum," the name of the fish-eating mar- 

 supial of North America. Confusion still reigns concerning the 

 naming of Australian animals. 



The fine illustrations are from the pen of E. E. Barker, a member 

 of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists' Union. They aid the 

 author considerably in producing an ideal gift-book. Pubhsher 

 and printer, with the slight exception mentioned, have done their 

 part well. 



["The Birds of the District of Geelong, Australia." By Charles F. 

 Belcher. W. J. Griffiths, Geelong, Victoria.] 



Mr. Belcher, who was at one time co-editor of The Emu, has 

 broken fresh ground in this volume. One hopes that it will not 

 be long ere others of a similar character are published. As the 

 author states, every county in England has its own bird-book, 

 written by its local men. There are many large districts in Aus- 

 tralia whose birds should be dealt with in separate volumes. 

 Ornithologists who consider that too much importance has been 

 attached to " locality lists " will not find any fault with this book, 

 which is not a mere list of species, buttressed by a few field notes. 

 It is a record of the author's observations, extending over some 

 25 years, upon the birds inhabiting the district lying about his 

 native town. From childhood he has found charm and delight 

 in bird-watching. 



