THE ZooLocist—JUNE, 1872. 3077 
Hotices of Ar Books. 
A History of the Birds of New Zealand. By Watter Lawry 
Butxer, F.L.S., &c. 
Havine so decidedly taken my stand on the “ theory of creation,” 
in opposition to the “theory of evolution,” and having also 
expressed an opinicn that the fauna and flora of Australasia—that 
old, old world—are dying out and fading away, it may be supposed 
that an undertaking like this of Mr. Buller’s would be peculiarly 
consonant with my taste. If the “theory of evolution” be true we 
shall have the species of Australasian birds multiplied almost 
infinitely: the gaps between Dinornis and Apteryx, between 
Sceloglaux and Strigops, will be filled by a multitude of inter- 
mediates: if the “theory of creation” and “death of species” be 
true, there can never be intermediates, but Apteryx, Sceloglaux and 
Strigops will follow Dinornis to the grave; the gaps will widen 
as the world increases in age; and our posterity will witness the 
decadence and final “ death of species” year by year, and almost 
day by day. Nothing can resist the extinctive power of causes 
now in active operation; a mind may be so imbued with the 
views of Darwin as to be blind to the evidence of his eyesight, deaf 
to the logic of facts; but there is no proof that Mr. Buller is 
either: he is evidently friendly to Mr. Darwin’s celebrated hypo- 
thesis, but sees, hears and thinks for himself. It seems to me that 
in the labour of acquiring, arranging, and meditating on publishing 
a history of the birds of New Zealand, he must inevitably supply 
materials for the superstructure I desire to raise. In his very 
prospectus I find abundant evidence of this; let it speak for 
itself: 
“Tt has been remarked by a celebrated naturalist that ‘New Zealand is 
the most interesting ornithological province in the world;’ and in a qualified 
sense this is no doubt true. The last remnant of a former continent, and, 
geologically considered, probably the oldest country on the face of our globe, 
it contains at the present day the only living representatives of an extinct 
race of wonderful Struthious birds. 
‘Within recent historic times this circumscribed area, scarcely equal in 
extent to that of Great Britain, was tenanted, to the entire exclusion of 
Mammalia, by countless numbers of gigantic brevipennate or wingless 
birds, of various genera and species, the largest attaining to a stature nearly 
twice that of a full-grown ostrich. These colossal ornithic types have 
SECOND SERIES—VOL, VII. 2D 
