wallaby" is for specie* of Marni- 

 wg) Wilh growing public interest 

 lh ihc conservation of our raiesl 

 fteC&S, it is becoming imperative thai 

 popular names sliottld be standard- 

 gift, tor meaningful use In the mass 

 jfvra niwB*! OmHhologfets succeeded 

 quite Well in this field, with their 

 OHuml Clwrklisi of Australian Birth. 

 Itl 1926. 



F«U«third* of tile hook (Chapters 

 i 10 I2j arc devoted lo the treat- 

 ,.icnl of the 22<J currently recognized 

 species of native Australian mam- 

 ,„;,!,. These arc arranged into 53 

 natural croups, and there is n full- 

 bOBt p!-ate to illustrate each group 



I. eneial information is given about 

 LMeh croup, and a list Is appended 

 ol all "species of the group together 

 wilh precise data ahoui each species 

 The subject is thus covered cxhaus- 

 nu-lv .aid j most informative census 

 nf our mammals is presented. 



The plates comprise drawings in 

 WjraS and white executed by Bill 

 | : r\ They have aimed to depicl 

 details ol form, pose and habitat of 

 thr species chosen, and in most cases 

 the aim is achieved admirably. How- 

 ever, details in some portrayals are 

 not true to life. Toes oltcn appear 

 in he somewhat enlarged lor ex- 

 ample, the head ol the I ehidiia docs 

 not have correct proportions, and 

 fire soilness of the tail of the Fairy 

 |0t l-eadbcuter's) Possum has eluded 

 the artist's pen. 



In the preparation of ihe book. 



II. ne has been strong bias towards 

 Western Australia. Forty-one of the 

 M\tv-nvo plates depict Western Aus- 

 tralia! specimens The Western 

 \m >. I, m distributions are mostly 

 ttl out in detail, hul m a number oJ 

 cases vl.da given for disinbuiions in 

 uiliirr Slates aiv vjeue or in.iccui- 

 ate, 



In the num body uf the book 



(Chapters 5-12). the distributions 

 given for mammal species are those 

 which applied 10 the early vcais of 

 European settlement, and. with few 

 exceptions, modified piescut day dis 

 tributions ate tun indicated. In (j 

 number of eases this matter is some 

 what rectified by data in Chapters 

 [j and 14. in which there is discus 

 sion of rare oj extinct species and of 

 certain others with changed staHis. 

 The fact that the distributions given 

 arc original ones could well have 

 been explained in die introduction to 

 the book, or the word "formerly" 

 could have been inserted in appro- 

 priate places in the statements of 

 distribution. 



There is lack of definition and 

 uniformity with regard to the use of 

 terms such as •'southern" and east- 

 ern" in connection wilh mammal dis- 

 tributions in Victon. i. for example, 

 for the Hrown Handicoot ilsoottnn 

 ohciulus) "southern" may be inter- 

 preted correctly, as a general dis 

 mhunon bcdfll IW SW, Victoria to the 

 extreme casi . put the term means 

 something else m the "southern and 

 south-eastern" given for the While- 

 looted Dunnan (.S>ninihnp.\ls U'u- 

 capus). 



Chaplcr 13 (Ihe Rare Ones) sets 

 oui data of species which have 

 become very WffC or cxtinci, and 

 Chapter 14 (Those wilh Changed 

 Status) deals with additional species 

 which have had their distiihutions 

 tcduccd substantially in modern 

 hmes. However, further species, such 

 as the Red-hellied Pademelon I I l>rl„ 

 f>dlf hilttirtltert). which have eipial 

 claim to inclusion in Chapter U. 

 have been otniiicd 



Chupler 15 is a pica lor eonserv.i 

 lion, and it should be read carefully 

 by the lav cotiseivatiunisl as well us 

 ihe specialist Hie author sums up 

 his philosophy with these comments. 



frtamry, 1971 



4/ 



