MR. CHARLES BARRETT, eminent Australian .
naturalist is also an ethnologist and an in- domitable traveller. His journeys in the Austra- lian territory of Papua-New Guinea cover an area bounded by the Torres Strait Islands in the south-west, by the Sepik River district in North-West New Guinea, by New Ireland in the north-east, and by Bougainville in the east. It is clear that there is more nature and eth- nology here than anywhere else on earth, and that the author's enthusiasm and immense knowledge arc a match for it. He undertakes exhaustive official investigations into insect- pests, but always finds time to observe min- utely the customs of the diverse native peoples he meets, and to describe with jealous affection the beasts and exotic birds. Typically, watching a grand sing-song of Mount Hagen natives, he manages to identify the different birds of paradise from which the dancers have obtained their plumes. The many photographs of native art and buildings are exciting and unusual. Mr. Barrett's son, Member of the Legislative Council, Papua-New Guinea, adds a chapter that shows—as indeed the whole book shows —how much energy Australia, busy with her own expansion, yet manages to spare for her vast territory to the north.
A. H. BARTON
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