BOOK NOTICES 263 



afloat. All these voyages were of surpassing interest, inasmuch as 

 they afforded opportunities for visiting lands, especially islands, 

 which are among the least known and remotest spots on the face 

 of the three great oceans. During one of these voyages, Africa 

 was circumnavigated, and St. Paul's Rocks, Fernando de Noronha, 

 South Trinidad, Martin Vas, Tristan da Cunha, Dassen Island, 

 the Comoro Islands, Madagascar, the Seychelles, etc., etc., were 

 visited. Another voyage was made to the West Indies, including 

 Martinique, the Grand and Little Cayman Islands ; and finally we 

 have a description of a voyage round the world, with special 

 references to Monte Video, the Straits of Magellan, Easter Island, 

 Pitcairn Island, and the Society and Samoan Islands. Incidents 

 of interest inseparable from such voyages are pleasantly related, 

 but the main object of the book is devoted to a graphic description 

 of the places visited, with an account of their natural history. 

 Special attention is paid to bird-life, and much information is 

 afforded regarding the habits of a number of little-known species, 

 while among the specimens collected were several belonging to 

 species new to science. It is a book that we have perused with 

 much pleasure and also profit ; indeed, it is so good that we have 

 only one fault to find with it, namely, that Mr. Nicoll has not 

 written at greater length on the singularly interesting isles, etc., 

 and their wild life, about which he discourses so pleasantly and 

 so well. This, we trust, he will make amends for in a new edition, 

 which we feel sure will be called for, wherein he will draw more 

 liberally from those stores of knowledge he so carefully garnered 

 during his visits to lands that very few can ever hope to see. The 

 book is well got up, and the numerous illustrations, taken direct 

 from photographs, are excellently reproduced. 



A BOOK OF BIRDS. By W. P. Pycraft, A.L.S., F.Z.S. With 

 30 full-paged coloured plates and many illustrations in the text. 

 London, Sydney Appleton, 1908. 



This is a companion volume to the "Book of Mammals," 

 recently noticed in our pages. It affords a useful, reliable, and 

 popular introduction to a knowledge of the Birds of the World, and 

 includes an interesting chapter on their structure, etc. The book 

 deals with the various orders into which birds are subdivided by 

 naturalists, giving in a pleasant manner a great amount of informa- 

 tion relating to their habits, distribution, and peculiarities. It is 

 an excellent book for a beginner, or for any one generally interested 

 in a most attractive and beautiful section of the animal kingdom. 

 The coloured plates are many, and each depicts a considerable 

 number of species, and while many of them are good, others do 

 not commend themselves for their accuracy, but one must not 

 expect too much, for we are dealing with a well-got-up book selling 

 at the moderate price of six shillings. 



