i893. SOME NEW BOOKS. 227 



occurring, the nucleus is always apparently to be found at the seat of 

 action. Finally, there are the important studies of Gruber and 

 others upon the artificial breaking-up of cells ; in such experiments it 

 has been found that a fragment of the original cell in which the 

 nucleus is left can be regenerated anew, while the remaining pieces 

 live for a time, but eventually decay. The book is, in fact, a very 

 complete and impartial summary of existing knowledge upon one of 

 the most important and fascinating branches of Biology ; but it is, of 

 course, written by a specialist for people who are acquainted with, at 

 least, the outline of the subject. Nevertheless, in the proper sense 

 of the word, it ought unquestionably to be a most popular work. 



The Game Birds and Wild Fowl of the British Islands : Being a Handbook 

 for the Naturalist and Sportsman. By C. Dixon. 8vo. Pp. xvi. and 468. 

 Illustrated. London : Chapman & Hall, 1893. Price i8s. 



The stream of books on British Birds seems to be an endless one, 

 but, nevertheless, there is doubtless an opening for the present 

 volume, which deals with all those groups of special interest to the 

 sportsman, namely, the game birds properly so-called, the pigeons, 

 rails, plovers and their kin, as well as the water-fowl. In his preface, 

 Mr. Dixon — whose name is already well-known through several 

 popular works on ornithology — is careful to observe that he is largely 

 indebted to the writings of others for much of the material on which 

 his work is based, although his own ornithological studies have 

 enabled him to add a considerable amount of original matter con- 

 nected with the habits of the birds described. Since, we believe, 

 there is no other work of this kind covering precisely the ground 

 occupied by the volume before us, Mr. Dixon's handy and well- 

 illustrated manual ought to be acceptable to all sportsmen who take 

 interest in the natural history and habits of their quarry. 



We cordially agree with the author's prefatory remarks concern- 

 ing the subject of bird classification, and the haste with which almost 

 every aspirant to ornithological knowledge propounds some startling 

 new scheme, destined to revolutionise the science — until superseded 

 by the next attempt ; and we think he has done well in keeping 

 more or less closely to one of the older arrangements. In attaching 

 the termination ''formes'' to each one of the old ordinal names, such 

 as " Anseres," we are of opinion, however, that he is ill-advised ; the 

 only possible advantage of such a cumbersome affix being in cases 

 where the terms are employed in the sense of subclasses, as, for 

 instance, when Mr. Sharpe uses the name " Anseriformes " to include 

 the order " Anseres " and several others of the old ordinal groups. 

 In placing the Sand-Grouse under the " Galliformes," rather than 

 with the " Columbiformes," the author has no sort of justification, as 

 the osteology of these birds is alone amply sufficient to show that 

 their affinity is much closer with the former than it is with the latter 

 group. Neither are we yet convinced of the propriety of removing 

 the Bustards from fhe vicinity of the Cranes, and placing them with 

 the Plovers. 



The mention of Cranes reminds us that under the heading of the 

 Demoiselle Crane, the author states that the time during which this 

 bird may be taken is " August ist to IMarch ist, otherwise by 

 authority of owner or occupier of land." Now, seeing that there is 

 but one solitary record of the occurrence of this species in the British 



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