AUSTRALIAN ORNITHOLOGY. 
255 
two islands, while all that we know of the others is 
from a few gleanings made by the French circum- 
navigating ships on their voyages of discovery. Borneo, 
New Guinea, and the adjacent islets, are unexplored 
mines of ornithological riches, where the most splendid 
of all birds, the Paradisidte, are alone found, and where 
the zoology of India blends into that of Australia. 
(214.) The Australian province, which may be said 
to commence with New Guinea, includes New Holland, 
New Zealand, and 4he whole of the numerous islands 
scattered in the Pacific Ocean. Considering that the 
chief seat of this range is an insular continent, under 
the British government, unusual facihties for its in. 
vestigation present themselves, and we can only join in 
lamenting the apathy of our government in doing 
scarcely any thing towards prosecuting those scientific 
objects which would have claimed the first attention of 
any other European power.* The birds in tlie irii- 
mediate vicinity of the chief towns have been indus- 
triously collected, and their skins are continually sent 
to this country, but we know little or nothing regarding 
their manners, habits, or internal structure. This is 
the more to be regretted in regard to the Australian 
birds, as their forms are altogether peculiar, and seem 
to present anomalies in nature of which there are no 
examples in other regions. There are parrots which 
are honey-suckers, crows that are shrikes, and vultures 
that are turkeys. The natural habits and economy, no 
less than the internal structure of these singular birds, 
require to be thoroughly investigated. The very general 
taste for natural history which has diffused itself of 
late years among us, has extended to these distant 
regions, and there are now several zealous lovers of our 
charming science settled in different parts of New 
Holland, who have already contributed valuable ma- 
terials to illustrate its zoology. To those, more espe- 
* A single paturalist has indeed boon placed on the government cstab- 
hshmont. Tins is well, i^ut was the French scientific expedition to 
or that sent by Austria to Brazil, composed of one individual ? 
