FINE ARTS.
Goumvs BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA.
Tim return of Mr. Got-1.1), the ornithologist, from his exploration of the Australasian continent, is scarcely known to the eeientifie world, before the first-fruits of his labours are presented to the public, in the shape of Pert I. or his splendid work on the Birds of Australia. IL
his departure he had acquired a high reputation as a naturaliet : but in thus investigating an extensive, interesting, and almost unknown bell, Mr. Goceo has greatly raised his claims to scientific distill( ; ana the circumstance of his having undertaken this enterprise at his sule charge, entitles him to every encouragement in the completion of this costly and valuable addition to natural science.
Tho birds or Australia appear to be no less peculiar in their cha- racteristics than the animals and vegetation ; anti of the seeenteen plates forming this faseiculus, several specimens are entirely new, and other): have been but imperfeetle• described. The most simed ir, on ace 0 tut of its habil. is the Wattled Talegalla, or Brush Turkes , Li!derto blmun as the New Rolland Vulture, but which :111.. Coen.» decides to le !wig to the gallinaceons tribe. It is enable of being domesticated :111a de- serves to bit, for beeiles being an interesting addition to the avi ley. its flesh is tender, delicate, and succulent: moreover, the breed is threw( tied Willi extermination, by the extraordinary insensibility to aaneer wlricit the birds manifest in allowing themselves to be shot of repeateilly without taking wing. The most curious characteristic, hewever, is tire mode of incubation, which, though resembling that of the ostrielt, is different in many particulars. A few weeks prey'', us to the laying- season, several birds combine their labours to accumulate au immense heap of decaying vegetable matter, to the amount of from two to four cart-loads, which they collect together by scratching it up and throwing it back towards a central point till it forms a mound of pyramidal form : when the heat generated by the process of decomposition is sufficient, the hens deposit their eggs in an upright position, which prevents the necessity of turning them as in other cases, and with the Inroad end uppermost, to admit of the escape of the chick ; each egg is placed twelve inches apart, and at the bottom of a hole an arm's-length deep: the large size of the eggs—three inches and three- quarters long and two inches and a half wide—allows of the chick to assume its plumage before breaking the shell ; from which Mr. GOULD infers that the young ones support themselves without the assistance of the parent. The number of eggs contained in each pyramid is very great, stone of them yielding a bushel. Another bird, of a totally different genus, the Ocellated Leipoa, or Pheasant of Western Australia, which is found at two hundred miles distance, adopts a similar method of in- cubation ; using sand, however, as the basis of the egg-hills. The most beautiful in form and plumage are the graceful little birds of the Parrot tribe ; of which there are tour species in this part, two Lorrikeets and two Parrakeets. One of the latter, the Warbling Grass Parrakeet, is extremely elegant in form, and delicately plumed, the body being bright green and the bead and wings yellow, Mottled with cres- cent-shaped stripes of brown : and it is remarkable for the "inward watbline song" which it keeps up during tine day, and, if stimulated by the lights and conversation of a room, for part of the night. Mr. Gould) has preserved a pair of these lovely pets alive, and they have continued in perfect health, delighting all visiters with their sprightly animation and dulcet notes, no less than their exquisite form and mark- ings. The Kingfishers, of which there are two species, brilliant in colour though not in form. are birds that one would not expect to meet with in a country where drought is so prevalent, but these birds, Mr. Gnome says, do not drink, nor dive into the water for their prey, but adapt their habits to the scorched and barrels plains of Australia by feeding on lizards and small situates, as well as insects, and on crabs, &c. when fhtind in the salt-marshes. The nest of the Fan-tailed Fly- catcher, shaped like a wine-glass or egg-cup with a long stem, is an- other feature worth noting. We may also inentiors that besides the Owlet Night-jar, which inhabits hollow trees, there is the Podergus, another night bird, that sleeps so eottielly duriug the day as only to he disturbed by being knocked off its perch, when it flies lazily to another tree and resumes its slumbers : such is their smmiolence, that Mr. GOULD men- thols having often shut one of the pair, wino generally roost on the same branch, without disturbing the mate. The Pardalotes, beautiful little birds, of which and of the Ground Thrush two species are figured. the honey -cater, and a sort of Quail, complete the attractions of the part so for as the birds are concerned. The delicate foliage and Macon of the various gum-trees and the beautiful grasses, which are introduced to indicate the food and proportionate scale of the birds, give pictorial completeness to the plates. The birds are mostly drawn the size of nature, and is attitudes caught from life, Mr. Goren having studied their movements on the spray as well as their conformations : indeed the living character is very striking.
All the dray. lugs on stone tire executed:by Mrs. Coutes whose style unites to the mime,: me:unto:: of definition required by the naturalist, an artistica' reeliog ead arrangement that leave.: nothing to be wished The colouring is fresh from nature, and each plate is as highly- finished as it' it were a drawing: in a word, the work is got up in a similar style of excellence to the Birds of Europe. with which it will correspond in size and probable extent. We are glad to see by the list of etubseribers :already published, that Mr. Goren is likely to meet with the support that lie so well deserves: though he can hardly hope to be reimbursed fur the large pecemiery outlay he has incurred.
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