Recent Ornithological Publications . 197 
Mr. Tristram's book, though not strictly an “ ornithological 
publication/' contains frequent references to the “ feathered 
tribes," and moreover a zoological appendix, in which a full list 
of the birds of the Sahara is given, we feel bound to allude to it 
in our quarterly record of the events which relate to ornithology, 
and we take the opportunity of recommending its perusal to all 
(whether learned or unlearned in birds) as an instructive and 
amusing account of a region hitherto seldom penetrated by 
European travellers. We sincerely hope, also, that the success 
which, as we understand, the present work has already attained 
may induce Mr. Tristram to carry out his plan of giving us a 
second volume on the Regency of Tunis without further delay. 
Some apology is owing from us to Dr. George Bennett for 
not having before made mention of his e Gatherings of a Natu¬ 
ralist in Australasia*,' containing, as it does, many ornitholo¬ 
gical notices, the greater number of which, however, have already 
appeared in the f Proceedings' of the Zoological Society. The 
work is illustrated by several beautiful plates, two being of birds : 
the one by Mr. An gas, the well-known draughtsman at Sydney, of 
that rare species the Australian Jabiru (Mycteria australis ); the 
other, from Mr. Wolf's inimitable pencil, of the Mooruk (Casuarius 
hennetti) } so often mentioned in these pages, and the discovery of 
which is due to the learned Doctor's zeal. It is indeed much to 
be wished that more of our brethren dwelling in the land of the 
Southern Cross would interest themselves in natural history, as 
the author of this work has done, and that speedily; for the 
Australasian fauna is doubtless about to undergo considerable 
changes, owing to the efforts now being made to people the 
Antipodes with European species. 
A peculiar feature of Australian ornithology is the extraordi¬ 
narily sudden and hardly yet accountable appearance of birds, 
often in great numbers, in particular districts where they had not 
before been seen, and their equally strange and total disappear¬ 
ance after a period generally short, but occasionally of consider- 
* Gatherings of a Naturalist in Australasia, &c. By George Bennett, 
M.D., F.L.S., F.Z.S., &c. London: J. Van Voorst, 1860. 1 vol. 8vo, 
pp. 456. 
