28 
The Emu. 
created a "lake" in the locality, on the "islands" of which were 
rookeries of White-headed Stilts, Avocets, Gull-billed Terns, 
Red-kneed Dottrels, &c. This was in the winter of 1900. A 
Crow's nest with the unusual number of 7 eggs was found on 
the 29th June. A Spotted Harrier's nest was observed on 
the I2th July. "Western records" were established for the 
Black-throated Butcher Bird and the Yellow-throated Miner, 
both nests being secured on the 20th July. Some hours before 
daylight, by the light of the moon, the " beautiful, rich, flute-like 
notes of the Butcher Bird " were heard. Other "oologists" were 
about besides Mr. Carter and his dusky " Native Companion." 
In a colony of breeding Fairy Martins under a slightly hanging, 
shaly cliff, two of the nests were discovered occupied by snakes. 
Mr. Carter went below and fired shots into the respective nests, 
when out dropped Carpet Snakes, so tightly coiled that they 
rolled down to the foot of the cliff. Each reptile contained two 
or three of the Martins. On another occasion, on poking a snake 
out of a hole in a rock and killing it, Mr Carter found it had 
"got outside" of four Chestnut-eared Finches, which had evi- 
dently come to slake their thirst at a small waterhole nean 
Review. 
[Australian Museum, Sydney. Special Catalogue No. i. "Nests and Eggs 
of Birds Found Breeding in Australia," by Alfred J. North, C.M.Z.S., Ornithologist, 
Australian Museum. (Second edition of Catalogue No. 12, entirely re-written, with 
additions). Part I., containing pages 1-36 ; plates A I, B i. Printed by order of 
the Trustees of the Australian Museum : R. Etheridge, jun., J. P., Curator. F. 
W. White, printer. Market-street west, Sydney. 1901.] 
All ornithologists and lovers of birds will hail with satisfaction 
the advent (of the first part at least) of the Australian Museum's 
" Special Catalogue No. i," under the title " Nests and Eggs of 
Birds Found Breeding in Australia and Tasmania." 
Judging by the initial part a great deal of laborious study 
and patient toil have been bestowed upon the production, which 
is really more of a " life-history " of our birds than a work on 
" Nests and Eggs." The title does not do justice to the wide, 
not to say ambitious, scope of the author's work, and, as it will 
be commonly cited, is misleading. It is cumbersome, too ; hence 
one wonders why it was unduly lengthened by the words ''and 
Tasmania." Every zoologist reckons Tasmania as a part of 
Australia, and even in Gould's day the species found in that 
island were included in his " Birds of Australia." And surely 
it is an inadvertence that " Nests and Eggs of Australian Birds" 
has been printed on some of the plates, that title having been 
previously used by another author, who had announced his appro- 
priation of it long before his book actually appeared. As a 
whole the work promises, when completed, to be the greatest 
publication on Australian birds since Gould's great volumes, and 
alike to scientific or non-scientific student will be invaluable. It 
