1921 .] Recently published Ornithological Works. 555 
The work will undoubtedly prove most useful to Aus¬ 
tralian as well as to other workers, and we shall reserve 
our further remarks and criticisms until the other volumes 
are completed. 
Most of the coloured plates represent nestlings and are 
of great interest ; in fact, all the plates are very good and 
reflect the greatest credit on Miss Medland, the artist who 
is responsible for them. 
Matheivs on Australian Birds. 
[The Birds of Australia. By Gregory M. Mathews. Yol. ix. 
pts. 1 & 2, pp. 1-96, pis. 400-411. London (Witherby), Feb. & Apr. 
1921.] 
The Fan-tailed Flycatchers are fascinating little birds, 
with attractive w T ays and beautiful nests. Among these, 
Mr. Mathews only leaves one Australian species in the genus 
Rhipidura , though he admits that his Howeavis and Setosura 
are closely allied. They vary in coloration, size of bill and 
of feet, while Leucocirca is still more easily distinguished by 
the same characteristics, as Swainson was the first to observe. 
Rhipidura fabellifera is divided by the author into eleven 
subspecies; besides those that are extralimital, several were 
formerly considered worthy of specific rank. This form is not 
depicted in the Watling drawings, but the Itufous Fan-tail 
[Howeavis) is given two figures. Six subspecies are here 
recognized for Australia ; those outside need further 
examination. On page 30 we find a criticism under 
Setosura of Hartert’s opinions, and the objection is raised 
that some of the subspecies allowed by that author show 
110 real relationships. Air. Mathews himself gives four for 
Australia, writing davidi for macgillivrayi preoccupied. 
Leucocirca tricolor should be Leucophrys (p. 40); here 
there has been a great confusion of names. Mr. Mathews 
makes four subspecies, one of which ( carteri ) is new. 
Mastersornis, the genus used by the author for Myiagra 
preoccupied, is taken to have three species. Of the first 
the synonymy has been much confused, but Latham’s 
