166 Recently published Ornitliological Works. 



7 . Deivar on Indian Birds. 



[Indian Birds, being .1 Key to the Common Birds of the Plains of 

 India. By Douglas Dewar. 1 vol., demy Svo, 228 pp. John Laue : 

 London and New York.] 



The object of this book is^ as the author informs us, " to 

 enable people interested in our Indian birds to identify at 

 sight those they are likely to meet with in their compounds 

 and during tlieir excursions into the jungle." This is a most 

 praiseworthy object, and we have no doubt that Mr, Dewar's 

 little volume will be of material assistance in meeting the 

 want of such a guide, though it is drawn up in a somewhat 

 novel manner. The metliod adopted is to classify the " birds 

 of the plains^' under several categories " according to their 

 habits and outward appearances." Every bird has a colour^ 

 and ])resents some other peculiarity (such as a crest^ a short 

 tail, long legs, or a peculiar voice) which enables it to be 

 divided from its fellows and arranged in a certain group, 

 specified by the author. Thus if the observer sees a white bird 

 with a crested head and a long tail and examines Mr. Dewar^s 

 lists, he will find that No. 47 is the only species that com- 

 bines these three peculiarities. On turning to the " Descrip- 

 tive l^ist," which forms the second half of the work, "No. 47 " 

 will be found to be the Indian Paradise Flycatcher {Terpsi- 

 plione paradisi) . This may be not a very scientific way for 

 the young Ornithologist to learn the names of his birds, but 

 it is a simple one, and may be of some use to a beginner. 

 Mr. Dewar thinks that it will enable any person to identify 

 in a few weeks nearly all the common birds of his Station. 



8. ' The Emu/ 



[The Emu. A Quarterly Magazine to popularize the Study and 

 Protection of Native Birds. Vol. x. pts. 1, 2.] 



In the first of these parts we have an important paper 

 by a New Zcalandci', Mr. T. Ircdale, on the Birds of the 

 Kermadec Islands, which lie between that country and the 

 Friendly Islands to the northward. The writer remained on 

 llaoid or Sunday Island, the chief of the group, from 



