THE OSPREY. 



in 



that in time it will be found that it is the rule 

 for many species to change completely during 

 their first year, the exceptions being- the impor- 

 tant facts requiring careful study. 



Few will be able to estimate the enormous ex- 

 tent of Dr. Dwight's labors in examining and 

 comparing many thousand specimens, and in 

 comparing and collating the gathered facts. 

 A thorough examination of the results estab- 

 lished by this examination of plumage condi- 

 tions and many more which might be added bid 

 fair to give us a broad basis on which to build 

 concepts of bird life as yet undreamed of by 

 systematic ornithologists. — W. P. 



Birii Watching By Edmund Selous Lon- 

 don | J. M. Dent .v Co., Aldine House 29 v 30 

 Bedford Street. W. C. 1901. [8vo. xi + 347 

 pp., 5 pi. — $3.00.] 



Mr. Edmund Selous is known as one who 

 watched and recorded the results of watching 

 the Goatsucker or Night Jar in England a 

 couple of years ago. He published these re- 

 sults (in 1899) in the form of "An Observational 

 Diary of the habits of Night Jars i C 'aprimulgus 

 Europtsus)." Consequently we might have said 

 that in liis Bird Watching he lias made some 

 valuable "observations;" but we learn from the 

 preface to his new book that tin- word "has a 

 terrific sound." and therefore, we forbear. The 

 preface of "Bird Watching" is characteristic 

 and as it is not only amusing, but explains the 

 scope of the volume well, and gives an insight 

 into the mode of treatment, we reproduce a con- 

 siderable portion of it. 



"I should like to explain that this work, being, 

 with one or two insignificant exceptions, a re- 

 cord of my own observations oiilv.it has not 

 been my intention to make general statements 

 in regard to the habits of any particular bird. 

 In practice, however, it is often difficult to write 

 as if one were not doing this, without its having 

 a very clumsy effect. One cannot for instance 

 always say. "1 have seen birds fly." ' hie has to 

 say. upon occasions. "Birds fly." Moreover, it 

 is obvious that in much of the more important 

 business of bird-life, one would be fully justified 

 in arguing- from the particular to the general: 

 perhaps (though this is not my opinion) one 

 would always be. But. whether this is the 

 case or not, I wish it to be understood that, 

 throughout, a remark that any bird acts in such 

 or such a way means, merely, that I have, on 

 one or more occasions, seen it do so. Also, all 

 that I have seen which is included in this volume 

 was noted down by me either just after it had 

 taken place or whilst it actually was taking- 

 place: the quotations (except when literary or 

 otherwise explicitly stated) being always from 

 my own notes so made. For this reason I call 

 my work "Bird Watching-," ami I hope the title 

 will explain, and even justify, a good deal which 

 in itself is certainly a want and a failing. One 

 cannot, unfortunately, watch all birds, and of 

 those that one can it is difficult not to say at 

 once too little and too much: too little, because 

 one may have only had the luck to see well a 

 single point in the round of activities of any 

 species —one feather in its plumage, so to speak 



— and too much, because even to speak of this 

 adequately is to fill many pages and deny space 

 to some other bird. All I can do is to speak of 

 some few birds as I have watched them in some 

 few things. Those who read this preface will, 

 I hope, expect nothing more, and I hope that not 

 much more is implied in the title which I have 

 chosen. Perhaps I might have been more ex- 

 plicit, but English is n.it German. "Of-some- 

 few-birds- 1 he-occasional-in-some-things- watch- 

 ing" does not seem to go well as a compound, 

 and "Observations on." etc., sounds as formid- 

 able a> "Beobachtungen iiber." It matters not 

 how one may limit it. the word -"Observations" 

 has a terrific sound. Let a man say merely that 

 he watched a robin (for instance) doing some- 

 thing, and no one will shrink from him: but if 

 he talks about his "Observations on the Robin- 

 Redbreast" then, let these have been ever so re- 

 stricted, and even though he may forbear to call 

 the bird by its Latin name, he must expect to 

 pa v the penalty. The very limitations will have 

 something severe smacking of precise scien- 

 tific distinction about them, and the implied 

 preference for English in such a case will ap- 

 pear affected and to tic a clumsy attempt, mere- 

 ly, to make himself popular. Therefore. I will 

 not call my book "Observations on," etc. I 

 have watched birds only. I have not observed 

 them. It is true that, in the text itself. I do not 

 shrink from the latter word, either as substan- 

 tive or verb, or even from the Latin name of a 

 bird, here and there, when I happen to know it 

 i fi ii- is there not such a thing as childish pride?). 

 But that is different. I do not begin at once in 

 that way. and by the time I gel to it anyone will 

 have found me out. and know that I am really 

 quite harmless. Besides, I have now set mat- 

 ters in their right light. Hut I was not going 

 to handicap myself upon my very cover and 

 trust to its contents, merely, lor getting over it. 

 That would have been over-confidence." 



The birds "watched" and whose habits are 

 commented upon are all English and include a 

 number of waders (plovers, redshanks, peewits, 

 etc.. etc. I, wild pigeons, gulls, skuas, ducks and 

 other web-footed birds, rooks and some common 

 English sou" birds (nightingale, etc.) The 

 chapters (twelve in number) are full of informa- 

 tion redolent of the fields and woods and written 

 in an entertaining though peculiar style. The 

 illustrations are realistic and add much to the 

 interest of the volume. There are 5 full plates 

 and 9 cuts interspersed in the text. We may re- 

 produce one or two of the chapters on forms 

 found in the 1'nited States as well as England 

 in a future number of Til i: (Isuk-i \. 



On tin- whole. Mr. Selous' treatment of his 

 subject is scientific, and his conclusions are 

 logical, but we must except from this commen- 

 dation a couple of his ideas at least: one is that 

 the movements of birds in a flock is the result 

 of thought-tranference: the other, that the 

 Buttering or simulation by a parent bird of in- 

 jury is of the nature of epilepsy. There is no 

 sufficient basis for such postulates in physiology 

 or psychology. But such observations are in- 

 considerable blotches in a work with many ad- 

 mirable features. 



