REVIEW 263 



Mr. Poynting's plates have, moreover, this advantage over those 

 of all previous books on British Oology, and this is perhaps their 

 chief raison d'etre, they exhibit a much wider range of variation, as 

 many as a dozen eggs of a single species being frequently represented 

 in the case of the Little Stint no fewer than fourteen are given. 

 The great majority of the figures are from specimens in the 

 extensive collection of Mr. Herbert Massey. Without wishing 

 to detract in any way from the value of Mr. Massey's evidently 

 superb collection, one cannot help giving expression to a feeling 

 of regret that the selection of specimens was not made from a 

 much wider field. A still greater range of variation in the 

 case of many species would thus have been secured, and the 

 plates rendered correspondingly more interesting and useful. A 

 few of the illustrations are from the pencils of other artists, those 

 of the rare American species having been furnished by J. L. Ridg- 

 way from specimens in the United States National Museum,- and 

 are likewise of a high order of merit. By the way, would it not have 

 been worth while to have given a figure of the reputed egg of the 

 Knot in the National Collection at South Kensington ? 



The author has been well advised as regards the letterpress. 

 Instead of presenting us with condensed accounts drawn up by him- 

 self, he very wisely gives us copious extracts from the writings of 

 those who have recorded their personal experiences of the nesting 

 habits of the birds. These extracts have, as a whole, been judiciously 

 selected from a very wide field, thereby rendering the volume highly 

 interesting reading, and at the same time a valuable book of 

 reference. No doubt a few errors such as Saxby's statement to 

 the effect that the Golden Plover's period of incubation is only 1 7 

 days are thus reproduced, but these might very well have been 

 taken notice of in footnotes. There are also one or two valuable 

 original notes contributed by Mr. H. Leyborne Popham, recording 

 some of the results of a successful trip made by him to the lower 

 Yenisei, and about which we should like to hear more. 



In a word, Mr. Poynting has proved himself to be both a master 

 in the art of depicting a bird's egg, and a safe guide to the best 

 accounts of the nesting of British birds. We therefore recommend 

 his book to our readers, and earnestly hope he will see his way to 

 continue his labours till he has covered the entire British list. 



W. E. 



