; « ■ A capital Australian bush story is "The Belle of Toorak," by Mr E. W. Hornung. Tho heroine, Moya Bethune, a Melbourne "society" girl, is in love with Pelham Rig den, tho manager of a Riverina station, and with hsr brother is staying at the station when the story opens. Rigden, the hero, is a fine young fellow, but. is very reticent about his peop.e, and this leads to the first "rift within the lute" between tha lovers. A ruffianly-looking swagger arrives at the station, who appears, to be strangely fami liar with Rigden, and the latter conceals him in tho store, and denies having seen I him, when later on the police, in search of an escaped convict, make their appearance; Moya, not unnaturally, wants to know what ali this means, and Kigden, refusing to con fide in her, trouble, suih. as might have been expected, follows. It would be untair to go into ah the details of the story beyond stat ing that Rigden screens the fugitive because he believes him to be his father. Ihe dramatic interest of the book is well-sus tained throughout, and the studies of Aus tralian lift , and scer.ery are characterised by all Mr Hornung's usual fiieluy and vigour, (ijondon: uiant KichardLi' Colonial Library. Christchurch: Whitcoin.be and Toinb3, iJs

6d.) J A clever book of parodies and burlesques on some of the favourite authors of the day, by Edgar Turner, has been published under the title of "The Girl with Feet of Citty," which begins the volume. This is a capital "take-off' on Mr Lβ GaJlienne. Among other authors parodied are Sir Jerome K. Jerome, Mr Jacobs, Miss Marie Corelli, and Mr Crockett. The raid on the Mcßockett Castle by fourteen editors, all de manding a story, is very amusingly told. In addition to the parodies there are some clever and amusing ki.ks with the author's friend, Mr Blanco Watson. In one oi these en titled, "A Prophecy," we are told how Mr Harmsworth, with the aid of "The Daily Mail" and other cheap papers, became the King of England. "Grant Allen or Le Gallienne?" is an amusing skit on the Shakespeare-Bacon theory, proving as it does, on strictly Baconian lines, that Grant Allen was the author of the poems attributed to Le Gallienne. (London: John Long, Strand. 