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قراءة كتاب An Australian Bird Book: A Pocket Book for Field Use
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An Australian Bird Book: A Pocket Book for Field Use
"How many things by season seasoned are
To their right praise and true perfection."
* * * * * *
"The Nightingale, if she should sing by day,
When every goose is cackling, would be thought
No better a musician than the Wren."
He knows that to the song of the bird must be its appropriate setting, and that when Nature has done her part there is still much to be supplied by ourselves.
The outlook is, however, a hopeful one. Nature-study is bringing our boys and girls into kindlier relationships with our birds; suitable popular names will be forthcoming for them; our poets will sing of them; our nursery rhymes and our children's tales will tell of them; and the time will come when even the birds now trying so hard to sing their way into our hearts, while cursed with the names of "Rufous-breasted Thickhead" and "Striated Field Wren or Stink Bird," will mean to an Australian what "the Throstle with his note so true" and "the Wren with little quill" do to an Englishman.
Mr. Leach's valuable little book is a powerful contribution to this much-to-be-desired result.
NAMES RECENTLY AMENDED
By Gregory Mathews.
The following were not included in the text.
The numbers 70, 74, and so on refer to the numbers of the birds.
20 Rallus pectoralis.
65-66 Genus Thalasseus.
70 Sterna fuscata.
74 Catharacta.
75 C. parasitica.
76 Morinella interpres.
80 Lobibyx novae hollandiae.
82 Squatarola squatarola.
83-89 Genus Charadrius.
90 Hypsibates
95 Numenius minutus.
96 Limosa baueri.
97 L. melanuroides.
98 Tringa hypoleuca.
99 T. nebularia.
100 Arenaria leucophaea.
101 Erolia ruficollis.
102 E. aurita.
103 E. ferruginea.
104 Canutus canutus.
105 C. magnus.
110 Choriotis australis.
111 Mathewsia rubicunda.
114 Egatheus falcinellus.
117 Egretta plumifera.
118 E. timoriensis.
121 E. nigripes.
122 Demigretta sacra.
124 Ixobrychus pusillus.
126 Chenopis atrata.
132 Tadorna tadornoides.
134 Nettion castaneum.
139 Nyroca australis.
140 Oxyura australis.
142-146 Genus, Carbo.
157 Astur cirrhocephalus.
171 Ieracidea berigora.
172 I. orientalis.
179-183 Genus, Tyto.
185-187 " Glossopsitta.
191 " Callocephalon.
192-194 " Cacatöes.
195 Licmetis tenuirostris.
196 Calopsitta novae-hollandiae.
198 Polytelis anthopeplus.
208 Neophema chrysostoma.
213 Lathamus discolor.
225 Eurostopodus albigularis.
228 Apus pacificus.
229 Cuculus pallidus.
232 Misocalius palliolatus.
PREFACE.
This little volume is intended as a pocket book for field use, so that the many teachers, nature-students, nature-lovers, schoolboys, schoolgirls, and boy scouts, who like to "see what they look at," may be able to name the birds they meet.
The first step towards knowing the birds is a desire to know them; this will grow if a person is interested; so our first business, as in all nature-study work, is to arouse interest. Interest follows at once, as we have often found, if a person realizes that what is about him or her is worthy of study.
To arouse this necessary interest, a lecture on Australian birds is given in such a form that it may be repeated, if desired.
The second requisite is a handy descriptive list of the birds that are likely to be seen. This has been written in simple language, so that the schoolboy and non-expert can use it.
Thus, our aims are two:—
1. To show that Australian birds are of interest.
2. To supply, in a convenient form, a list of the birds which are likely to be seen, and the marks by means of which they may be identified.
This little book contains illustrations and descriptions of—
100% of the birds found in Victoria.
92.5% .. .. .. .. .. .. .. South Australia.
87.3% .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Tasmania.
82.5% .. .. .. .. .. .. .. New South Wales.
78.16%.. .. .. .. .. .. .. W. Australia (S. and C.).
78.15%.. .. .. .. .. .. .. Queensland.
The balance of those found in each of the other States is made up mainly of birds closely related to those of which illustrations are given, or of very rare birds restricted to a small area.
The families of the birds of the world have been included, so that the observer can see where the bird he is observing is placed amongst the world's birds. He will also be enabled to place near its Australian relatives birds he reads about. The Australian birds only are grouped in orders.
Mr. H. Wilson, Nature-study Lecturer, Training College, superintended the painting of the birds, and saw the book through the press.
A Hand-List of Birds: Dr. Sharpe; and A Hand-List of the Birds of Australasia: Gregory M. Mathews, have been followed for classification and distribution.
But for the interest of the Minister of Education, the Hon. A. A. Billson, and the Director, Mr. F. Tate, M.A., I.S.O., this little book would not have been possible. Further, Mr. Billson suggested the colored illustrations, while Mr. Tate has written the introduction, read the proof-sheets and assisted at all stages.
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.
In response to requests from beginners, a table has been added on page 190. This table shows the page on which a bird of a certain size may be found.
Pending the completion by the Royal Australasian Ornithologists' Union of its official Check-list of the Birds of Australia, the scientific names have been left as in the first edition.
NOTES.
Where one number is placed over another at the left side of the page, the lower number denotes the number of species of that genus found in the world; the upper denotes the number of species found in Australia and Tasmania.
The number at the right side of the page is the length of the bird in inches (from the tip of bill to the tip of tail).
The families of birds known are numbered consecutively, thus, F. 11, F. 12, and so on. The number after a family name denotes the number of species recorded from Australia and Tasmania. The distribution of the species of each family amongst the six zoogeographical regions is shown thus:
F. 17. COLUMBIDAE (2), WOOD PIGEONS, Passenger-Pigeon, Rock-Dove, 119 sp.—41(40)A., 25(17)O., 18(10)P., 19(17)E., 4(0)Nc., 24(20)Nl.
This should read: Family number 17 of the world's birds, COLUMBIDAE (two of which are found in Australia and Tasmania) contains the Wood Pigeons, including the Passenger-Pigeon (of North America) and the Rock-Dove (of Europe). It comprises 119 species, of which 41 are found in the Australian Region, 40 of them being confined to this region; 25