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 are found in the Oriental Region, 17 being confined to it; 18 are found in the Palaearctic Region, 10 of which are not found outside the region; 19 have been recorded from the Ethiopian Region, 17 being peculiar to that region; 4 have been recorded from the Nearctic Region, none of which is restricted to the region; 24 have been recorded from the Neotropical Region, 20 being peculiar to it.
The name in black type is the name accepted by the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science in 1898, and amended by the "names" sub-committee of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists' Union, 1911. This name should be used to denote the bird. Many local names are given, so that a person knowing a bird by one of these may discover its proper name.
A.—Australian Region (from Wallace's Line to Sandwich Islands and New Zealand, see map p. 10).
O.—Oriental (Indian) Region (India to Wallace's Line).
P.—Palaearctic Region (Europe, N.W. Africa, and Northern and Western Asia, except Arabia).
E.—Ethiopian Region (Arabia and Africa, except N.W.).
Nc.—Nearctic Region. ("The A.O.U. Check-List of North American Birds, 1910" has been followed in making this North America, less Mexico).
Nl.—Neotropical Region (South America, with Mexico).
A.O.U.—American Ornithologists' Union; R.A.O.U—Royal Australasian Ornithologists' Union.
A. denotes found throughout Australia; E.A. denotes found in Queensland, N.S.W., and Victoria; S.A. denotes South Australia; C.A. denotes Central Australia; W.A. denotes Western Australia; N. Ter.—Northern Territory; Mal.—Malaysia; Mol.—Molucca Is.; N. Cal.—New Caledonia; N. Heb.—New Hebrides; N.G.—New Guinea; N.Z.—New Zealand; Br.—British; T.—Tasmania.
Nom.—Nomadic; Mig.—Migratory; Part. Mig.—Partly Migratory; Stat.—Stationary; exc.—except; acc.—accidental.
C.—common; v.c.—very common; r.—rare; v.r.—very rare; u.—unlikely that the ordinary observer will see it.
* means see colored illustration.
f.—female; m.—male; f., sim.—f. is similar in color and size.
=vt. Eur. denotes that the Australian bird is closely similar in form, habits, &c., to the corresponding European bird.
=vt. cos. denotes that it is the equivalent or representative of a cosmopolitan group of birds.
1
4
6* King Quail (Chestnut-bellied, Least, Dwarf), reads "No. 6 (see colored illustration) is the King Quail, called also the Chestnut-bellied Quail, Least Quail, and Dwarf Quail. Four of this genus are known in the world, of which one is found in Australia."
(e) denotes that a name is used in error.
A Yellow-tailed Tit-Warbler is about 4 in. long; a White-eye, 4.5 in.; a Sparrow, 5 in.; a House-Swallow, 6.5 in.; a Sordid Wood-Swallow, 7 in.; a Black and White Fantail, 7.5 in.; a Starling, 8.5 in.; a Harmonious Shrike-Thrush, 9.5 in.; a Noisy Miner, 10 in.; a Magpie-Lark, 10.5 in.; a Butcher-Bird, 11 in.; a Pallid Cuckoo, 12 in.; a Rosella, 12.5 in.; a Galah, 14 in.; a Wattle-Bird, 14.5 in.; a Laughing Kingfisher, 17.5 in.; a White-backed Magpie, 18 in.; and a Crow, 20 in. (measured from the tip of tail to the tip of bill).
Don't try to judge a bird's length in inches.
Note one or two prominent markings, and the size of a bird; say, larger than a Starling, but smaller than a Magpie-Lark. Then get the length of these birds from the table above (8½ in. and 10½ in. respectively), and compare the description of each bird that comes between these lengths with the illustrations and the bird before you. The birds are approximately relative size on each block.
Use the index to find the page of a bird, then use the number, if asterisked, to find the bird in the colored plate index.
