Recently published Ornithological IVurks. 187 



16. Nelson on the Birds of Yorkshire. 



[The Birds of Yorkshire. Being a Historical Account of the Avifauna 

 of the County. By T. H. Nelson, with the Co-operation of "W. Eagle 

 Clarke and F. Boyes. London : A. Brown & Sons, 1907, and at Hull 

 and York. '2 vols., 8vo. 



The long-felt want of a comprehensive book on the Birds 

 of Yorkshire has at last been met by the issue of the two 

 stout volumes before us, the work of Mr. T. H. Nelson, 

 with the co-operation, as will be seen from the title, of 

 ]\Iessrs. Eagle Clarke and F. Boyes. Since Thomas Allis wrote 

 his MS. Report " On the Birds of Yorkshire '^ in 1844, many 

 enthusiasts have w'orked at the ornithology of the county, 

 one of the chief among them being the late J. Cordeaux ; 

 while in 1881, Mr. Clarke, who had commenced a mono- 

 graph in the 'Transactions of the Yorkshire Naturalists" 

 Union," contributed a list of species to the ' Handbook of 

 the Vertebrate Fauna of Yorkshire.' On his departure to 

 Edinburgh, however, he found himself unable to continue 

 the undertaking, and it was thought advisable to publish 

 an entirely fresh account of the county Avifauna, as an 

 exceptional mass of material had gradually accumulated for 

 some thirty-five years. The task was entrusted by the York- 

 shire Union to our fellow-member Mr. Nelson, whose long 

 residence in the shire has enabled him to add largely to 

 the information originally gathered by Messrs. Clarke and 

 W. D. Roebuck, and to present us with the admirable piece 

 of work which it is now our duty and pleasure to notice. 

 The leading ornithologists in the various districts have been 

 most ready to lend their assistance to the author, who has 

 also been able to profit by the labours of his predecessors 

 from Willughby and Tunstall downwards, not forgetting 

 Charles Waterton, the renowned author of ' Essays in 

 Natural History.' In fact, ancient records are one of the 

 features of the book, and in this connexion we may call 

 attention to the accounts of disused Duck-Decoys. 



Yorkshire is not only the largest of English counties, 

 but holds pride of place with regard to birds ; and this is 

 no matter for astonishment when we remember the varied 



