264 The hish Naturalist. November, 



Au inland party under Mr. Praeger collected seeds, the season being 

 specially favourable for this line of research. After taking tea at Lough- 

 shinny cottage the excursion returned to Dublin by the 5.57 train from 

 vSkerries. 



REVIEW. 



THE BIRDS OF THE MONTHS. 



Birds in their Seasons. By J. A. Owen. Preface + pp. 145. Lon- 

 don : Geo. Routledge & vSons, Ltd , 1904. 2s. 6d. net. 



This little book is arranged in a way we cannot approve of : " Birds in 

 Spring," "Birds in Summer," and "Autumn" and "Winter." This 

 seems to us an unsatisfactory way to deal with British Birds, and one apt 

 to confuse the beginner. P'or instance, the Starling and Swift appear in 

 '* Autumn," the House Sparrow in " Winter," and the Great Grey Shrike 

 in "Spring," while the Fire-crested Wren is mentioned in "Summer," 

 although the text says it has been obtained "invariably in winter." 

 From these examples, picked at random, it will be seen that the authors 

 arrangement is misleading to young people beginning to study British 

 Birds, and we should imagine the book is intended for them. The writing 

 in places is loose ; no one would think from p. 5 that the Golden-crested 

 Wren is resident with us, whilst any one would think that the Green 

 Sandpiper breeds in Britain from the account given on p. 73. The Martin 

 arrives after the Swallow — not before, as stated, and the song dCvScribed 

 as the Blackbird's on p. 27 is clearly that of the Thrush, as the former 

 does not repeat its notes. Other similar instances of hast}- w^riting could 

 be given. The information about Irish birds is meagre in the extreme, 

 though the interesting note is made of eighteen eggs having been found 

 in a wren's nest in Co. Limerick. While the Arctic Tern is not men- 

 tioned at all, nine lines are devoted to the Rock Thrush (in the division 

 "Autumn,") although the onl}^ British example was obtained in May, 

 1843. The plates (which appeared in Adan^s' "Smaller British Birds," 

 published in 1874) are poor and indeed misleading. For British readers 

 it would be hard to sa}' whether the picture of the Ring Ouzel in a snow- 

 storm at p. 112 is more incongruous than the Redwing and F'ieldfare, in a 

 leafy bower at apparentl}- mid-summer, at p. 88 ! 



Altogether the book is disappointing, and while there are many pleas- 

 ing anecdotes of bird-life, it is not worthy of the reputation oftheauthoi. 

 The best portions of the book are those which deal with the personal 

 experiences of the writer, which are interesting and well told. 



R. P. 



