BOOK NOTICES 6i 



to the avifauna of our great Indian Empire. The Society includes 

 within the ranks of its membership the necessary talent for produc- 

 ing the standard work on Indian birds : w^e hope that it will avail itself 

 of its resources. 



English Bird Life. By H. Knight Horsfield, M.B.O.U. 

 London : Everett and Co., 1908. Price 7s. 6d. net. 



Mr. Knight Horsfield has produced a very readable book : one 

 that is written in a bright and pleasant style which will appeal to 

 bird-lovers both old and young. The book is divided into nineteen 

 chapters. The first of these treats of the diurnal birds of prey ; and 

 here the author says a good word on behalf of the smaller hawks, 

 pointing out that their food consists chiefly of voles, mice, and 

 insects. An excellent account is griven of the various Warblers in 

 the chapter devoted to " The Birds of the Woodlands," slight 

 mention being made of our more uncommon visitors, such as the 

 Icterine and Yellow-browed Warblers. Under the heading of Tree- 

 Climbing Birds, the habits of the Woodpeckers, Tits, Creeper, 

 Wryneck, and Nuthatch are described, and the reader will see that 

 the author is both a keen, patient, and happy observer of bird-life. 

 The Finches, Crows, and Thrushes are discussed in separate chapters, 

 while 56 pages are given to " Birds of the Field " and " Birds of the 

 Heath." The two sections referring to " Birds of the Moorland " and 

 "Birds of the River" strike us as particularly interesting, as do also the 

 chapters relating to the Pheasant and Woodcock. The author has 

 a pleasant way of imparting his knowledge, and his descriptions and 

 observations are given in a bright and entertaining manner. A 

 particularly good description is given (p. 427) of a winters evening 

 on the sand-dunes with the gloom and mist hanging over the adjoin- 

 ing mud-flats. The illustrations are all from photographs from life, 

 and they are remarkable for their excellence and clearness ; mostly 

 by Mr, T. A. Metcalf. On looking over a hundred of these photo- 

 graphs one realises that the author in no way exaggerates when 

 he states in the preface that the illustrations represent the work of 

 years spent in observation. The addition of an index would have 

 been a useful adjunct to an excellent little volume. G. G.-M. 



How TO Attract and Protect Wild Birds. By Martin Hiese- 

 mann, translated by E. S. Burchheim. London : Witherby 8z Co., 

 1908. Price IS. 6d. net. 



The lovers of our native birds, and they are fortunately a numer- 

 ous body, cannot fail to welcome this little volume on the protection 

 of their favourites. The subject is treated from a scientific point of 

 view, and, as the author points out (on p. 21), " Baron von Berlepsch 

 has made it possible for us to carry out the protection of birds on a 

 basis which is rational and entirely in accordance with Nature." 

 The experimental station on the estate of Seebach (situated in the 



