Becently published Ornithological Works. 147 



Only one record of Bartram's Sandpiper is admitted for 

 Australia, while a description is given of the hitherto un- 

 known egg oiPagoa [JEgialilis'] geoffroyi on the authority 

 of Mr. Stuart Baker. 



Useful woodcuts are given in the Tringa group to sliow 

 the difference in the tail of the species '^ acuminata " and 

 " minuta," and the similarity in those of the latter and 

 '^fuscicollis." In the plate of the Curlew Sandpiper the 

 first name is accidently printed " Curley.^^ 



Mathews^ New Check-list of Australian Birds. 



[A List of the Birds of Australia. By Gregory M. Mathews, F.R.S.E., 

 containing the names and synonyms connected with each genus, species, 

 and subspecies of birds found in Australia, at present known to the 

 author. Pp. xxiv+3.32. London (Witherby), 1913. 8vo.] 



The indefatigable Mr. Mathews has now issued a new 

 check-list of Australian birds. If our memory serves us 

 correctly this is the third list apart from his larger de- 

 scriptive work now being issued in parts on the same subject. 

 Mr. Mathews^ first list appeared as a supplement to the 

 ^Emu' in 1908 and contained 880 species and subspecies; 

 the second, published in ' Novitates Zoologicse' in 1912, 

 contained about 1450 ; the present list, which forms a 

 separate publication, has not the species and subspecies 

 numbered, but as about seven go to a page and there are 

 317 pages, the number of separate forms recognized must 

 exceed 2000. 



Whether Australian and other workers in ornithology 

 will be able to recognize the distinctness and the use- 

 fulness, even if distinguishable, of all these many subspecies, 

 generally only possible to identify with large series for 

 comparison and with access to the types in Mr. Mathews' 

 collection, time alone can show ; but Mr. Mathews claims 

 that the nomenclature has been very carefully determined, 

 and is based on strict priority as interpreted by the code of 

 rules formulated by the International Congresses of Zoology, 

 and that whether we accept all his subspecies or not his 

 nomenclature must stand. 



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