294 ^ ne Scottish Naturahst. 



The well-known " Percy Anecdotes," of which many editions 

 have been issued,* contain a special section of " Anecdotes of 

 Instinct," consisting of an admirable series of illustrations of 

 the mental aptitudes of the lower animals. Isolated anecdotes 

 also occur in the section on " Music." The work professes to 

 have had, in its compilation, "a scrupulous regard to truth," 

 so that the authenticity of the anecdotes of which it is made up 

 may be apparently relied upon as much as it is safe to trust to 

 the accuracy of any such published compilations of the too 

 frequently anonymous records of fact or observation. In certain 

 cases, satisfactory authorities are cited for the quotations, e.g., 

 Wilson, the American ornithologist ; Bishop Heber, of India ; 

 and Broderip, author of the " Zoological Recreations." 



Similar in the character of its quotations to the " Percy 

 Anecdotes " is a volume published at Halifax in 1839, obviously 

 for the benefit of youth, entitled the " Wonders of Nature and 

 Art." It quotes largely from Shaw's " Nature Displayed." 



As to Chambers's " Information for the People," Dr. William 

 Chambers himself informed me (in December, 1873), " I am 

 sorry I cannot say anything satisfactory as to the writers of the 

 articles in the 'Information/ the matter being a mixture of old 

 and new." The articles in question are such as those on the 

 Horse, Dog, Sheep, Goat, Alpaca, Pigs, Cattle, Rabbits, Cage- 

 Birds, Poultry, and the Honey-Bee — all in Volume I. of the 

 illustrated last or new edition of 1873-74. Probably his remark 

 applies also to such papers in the " Miscellany of Useful and 

 Entertaining Tracts " as, in 



Referring to the new revised edition of 1869-71, Dr. Find- 

 later informed me (in February, 1873), "As to the articles of 

 the ' Miscellany ' you specify, they were simply reprinted, with 

 no material alteration, from the former edition, and I cannot 

 say who wrote them." 



* One of the latest and best is the " Chandos Edition," by Timbs, 

 in 2 vols. 8vo. London, 1S68. 



