ioo The Field Naturalist's Quarterly May 



taken from the F. N. Q., many of them did not add that its 

 original source was from Mr Long's book. We draw atten- 

 tion to this in order that our readers may know where to 

 find a great deal more from the same gifted pen, for we are 

 certain that ' School of the Woods ' will be read with intense 

 delight. The reception accorded to this article is another 

 proof of the growing interest in the subject. 



\^/ \^/ \±f ~\^ -^^ 



-^ ^ ^. ^ ^ 



Our illustrations in this number reflect various branches 

 of field-naturalist activity. We are indebted to Rev. F. 

 Barnwell for those of the Chartley cattle, taken specially to 

 illustrate Mr Masefield's article. Mr Tait sends us the views 

 of the puffins, taken at Clo Head, Sutherland, and raises a 

 query as to their attitude which we hope our correspondents 

 will enlarge upon. Mr Douglas English is responsible for 

 the excellent pictures of British newts, a group of animals 

 which we rarely see photographed from life. Our frontis- 

 piece is again by Mr Dewhurst, whose illustrations of bird 

 life are so successful. Mr Johnson again illustrates his own 

 article, and is assisted by Mr Gatty's photos of flint instru- 

 ments ; whilst once more a contributor from far-off China 

 sends his quaint sketches. 



The Language of Birds. 



By E. Kay Robinson. 



I write to solicit the help of readers in compiling a dic- 

 tionary of the language of birds. In tracing the relation- 

 ship of human races, language is known to offer the most 

 reliable chain of connecting-links between widely sundered 

 tribes ; but we almost totally neglect the equal value in this 

 respect of the language of birds. By a man's dialect you 

 can guess his county, sometimes even his town ; by his 

 actual "language" you can tell his nation; by the roots of 

 its words you can fix his nation's place in the human 

 family ; but from a bird's language we learn nothing what- 

 ever. 



