Vol. X 

 igii 



J Reviews. 349 



work may at first sight be confusing to students, but the ex- 

 planatory " Notes " after the preface will make the connections 

 clear, thus : — 



" Where one number is placed over another at the left side of the 

 page, the lower number denotes the number of species of that genus 

 found in the world ; the upper denotes the number of species found 

 in Australia and Tasmania. The number at the right side of the 

 page is the length of the bird in inches (from the tip of biU to the tip 

 of tail). The families are numbered consecutively — F. ii, F. 12, and 

 so on. The number after a family name denotes the number of 

 species recorded from Australia and Tasmania. The distribution of 

 the species of each family amongst the six zoo-geographical regions 

 is also shown : — 



"F 17. COLUMBID^ (2), WOOD PIGEONS, Passenger-Pigeon, 

 Rock-Dove, 119 sp. — -41 (40) A., 25 (17) O., 18 (10) P., 

 19 (17) E., 4 (o) Nc, 24 (20) Nl. 



"This should read: — Family number 17 of the world's birds, 

 COLUMBIDiE (two of which are found in Australia and Tasmania) 

 contains the Wood-Pigeons, including the Passenger-Pigeon of North 

 America and the Rock-Dove of Europe. It comprises 119 species, 

 of which 41 are found in the Australian region, 40 of them being con- 

 fined to this region ; 25 are found in the Oriental Region, 17 being 

 confined to it ; 18 are found in the Palaearctic Region, 10 of which 

 are not found outside the region ; 19 have been recorded from the 

 Ethiopian Region, 17 being peculiar to that Region ; 4 have been 

 recorded from the Nearctic Region, none of which is restricted to the 

 region ; 24 have been recorded from the Neotropical Region, 20 being 

 peculiar to it." 



The accepted vernacular name of the species in bold type 

 readily catches the eye ; synonymous vernaculars — many of them 

 trivial, however — are given less conspicuously in brackets. Then 

 follow the technical name, distribution, chief points or marks of 

 plumage, and size, for identification, food, &c. No reference is made 

 to nests and eggs, which are designedly omitted, in case school- 

 boys and scouts should be tempted to lay up treasures of eggs.* 



Instead of the usual " Remarks " or " Observations," a 

 " Popular Lecture,"-}- runs through the work, which, in a clever 

 manner, fits the pages where the particular order or families of 



* It is a matter of history that nearly all famous ornithologists were egg-collectors 

 in their youthful days. It is feared that, from his wonted enthusiasm. Inspector 

 Leach is no exception to the rule. — A. J. C. 



+ Victorian Naturalist, vol. xxvii., No. 8. Lecture subsequently delivered at 

 Brisbane {Emti, vol. x., p. 176) is amplified and brought up to date. Here is one 

 interesting amplification : — "It is interesting to note that Australia contains repre- 

 sentatives of twenty-eight families of Song-Birds. Representatives of but nineteen 

 families have been recorded from Britain. The Indian Empire, including Burmah 

 and Ceylon, contains representatives of twenty-two families, North America, also, of 

 twenty-two families, while in South America twenty-three families are represented in 

 this highest division of birds. Again, while only 89 Song-Birds have been recorded 

 as permanent residents of, or regular visitors to, Britain, almost 500 species of Song- 

 Birds have, so far, been recorded from Australia and Tasmania. Of these, 157 have 

 been recorded from Victoria, and are illustrated in this volume. And yet we are 

 told this is a land of songless birds." 



