Recently published Ornithological Works. 545 



74. Mathews on Australian Birds. 



[The Austral Avian Record. A Scientific Journal devoted primarily 

 to the study of the Australian Avifauna. Edited by Gregory M. Mathews. 

 Vol. i. Nos. 1, 2.] 



This new Journal is issued in connection with Mr. Mathews' 

 Museum at Watford, and consists of notes on various 

 sulijects of interest that have occurred to him in tlie course 

 of his large illustrated work now being published. The first 

 part treats of the Australian Cuckoos, and of the dates of issue 

 of Lear's 'Psittacidse' and Mliller's 'Naturliji^eGeschiedenis, 

 Land- en Volkenkunde.' The second part consists of 

 additions to the author's list of the Birds of Australia (Nov. 

 Zool. xviii. p. 171, see below) and descriptions of new or 

 hitherto undescribed eggs. 



It is impossible to comment here on the validity of the 

 new genera, species and subspecies proposed, which are very 

 many in number, and we must wait to see how many of 

 them are accepted by Ornithologists in general when they 

 appear in Mr. Mathews' larger work. 



75. Matheivs^ Reference-List of Austral i an Birds, 



[A Reference-List to the Birds of Australia. By Gi'egorj' M. Mathews. 

 Nov. Zool. xviii. no. 3, pp. 171-455, Jan. 31st, loil.] 



hi his "Introduction" to the last volume of the ' Hand- 

 list of Birds,' the late Dr. Bowdler Sharpe (as on former 

 occasions) severely condemned the practice of naming 

 "■subspecies or races with trinomial names." That sub- 

 species " exist in nature" — he goes on to say, " no one can 

 deny," but in his opinion a binomial title would answer every 

 purpose. When we turn over the pages of the memoir 

 now before us we feel much inclined to agree with Sharpe's 

 views. A short time ago (1908) Mr. Mathews presented us 

 with a ' Hand-list of the Birds of Australia,' founded upon 

 Sharpe's ' Hand-list of Birds,' and containing the names 

 and localities of the 880 species and subspecies^ which he 

 then considered to be Australian. Now he has altered his 

 plans altogether, and in the present memoir, besides making 

 numerous alterations in nomenclature, has increased the 

 number of Australian forms to about 1450, thus adding 



