BOOK NOTICES 191 



BOOK NOTICES. 



THE BRITISH WARBLERS : A HISTORY, WITH PROBLEMS OF 

 THEIR LIVES. Bv H. Eliot Howard, F.Z.S., AI.B.O.U. Illustrated 

 by Henrich Gronvold. London, R. H. Porter, 1907. Part I. price 

 2 is. net. 



Among the sciences, the literature of ornithology stands unsur- 

 passed for the beauty of its works, and the book under notice 

 will certainly be second to none. The Warblers form one of the 

 most attractive groups among our native birds, and are well worthy 

 of having an exhaustive monograph devoted to the delineation of 

 their graceful forms and their engaging and interesting life-histories. 

 Mr. Howard's book promises to furnish this in a manner 

 which is in all respects worthy of his feathered favourites. The 

 coloured portraits of both birds and eggs are of extreme beauty and 

 excellence, and are decidedly the best we have ever seen ; while 

 the series of photogravure pictures illustrating courting attitudes, 

 from drawings by the author, are, we believe, unique. The strong 

 point of the letterpress is its originality. Air. Howard has watched 

 his subjects with remarkable zeal and affords us some of the best 

 peeps into the least observed phases of their life-histories that have 

 ever been given us. He deals too with many of the problems raised 

 in a pleasing and philosophic manner ; and the descriptions of his 

 bird-watchings are graphic and devoid of those wearisome details 

 which characterise the essays of some recent writers. The text, 

 too, is admirably arranged, and one can find at once any item of 

 information, whether it relates to description of plumage, geo- 

 graphical distribution, or habits. 



The work is to be completed in S parts. Part I. contains 24 

 pages of letterpress, and deals with the Sedge Warbler and the 

 Grasshopper Warbler. It contains 4 coloured and 10 photogravure 

 plates, and two maps showing the approximate distribution of the 

 birds during summer and winter. 



BlRD-LlFE OF THE BORDERS ON MOORLAND AND SEA, WITH 



FAUNAL NOTES EXTENDING OVER FORTY YEARS. By Abel Chapman, 

 F.Z.S. etc. With coloured maps, and numerous illustrations. 

 London, Gurney and Jackson, 1907. 145. net. 



This is a second edition of what was deservedly the bird-book 

 of the year 1889. Written by one possessed of an intimate know- 

 ledge of his subject and an attractive pen, and a first-rate orni- 

 thologist to boot, the edition soon became exhausted and the book 

 has been very scarce for many years. The work was certainly well 

 worthy of being reprinted, but fortunately more than this has been 

 accomplished, for Mr. Chapman has been induced to practically 



