KTWW) 



Notes on the Birds of Builand. By C. Eecfinald Haines, M.A., 

 F.S.A., etc. Illustrations and Map. Porter. 7s. Gd. net. 



Mr. Haines need have made no apology for his little book, for, 

 as he writes in his preface, every county should have a separate 

 history of its avifauna. 



Its small size, inland position, the sameness of its physical 

 features, and the fact that few have taken any interest in its 

 avifauna, go to make Rutland a poor county for birds. Only 

 two hvindred species are here included, and some of these are 

 recorded on slender evidence. Mr. Haines has had little help, 

 but he has done his work well and conscientiously. 



Attention may be drawn to the following points : — The 

 Stonechat appears to be a rare bird notwithstanding abundance 

 of gorse; the note (p. 16) on the "Dartford Warbler" certainly 

 does not refer to that bird ; the evidence for the occurrence of 

 the Firecrest, in a letter by Mr. Mitchell (p. 18) appears strong; 

 two Bearded Tits visited Burley Ponds on Januaiy 18th, 1905 ; 

 trinomials are used in brackets and for some of the Tits only (!) ; 

 tlie Willow Tit is not a subspecies of the Marsh Tit ; the Pied 

 Flycatcher occurs in the breeding season, and there is strong 

 -evidence of its having nested ; the Hawfinch is increasing, as 

 elsewhere ; the Twite was definitely added to the list in March, 

 1905 ; on page 79 is a record of what might have been a 

 specimen of Picii^ martins ; the inclusion of the Egyptian and 

 Canada Geese and the Green-backed Gallinule as " British " 

 birds we cannot agree to ; the Redshank appears to have first 

 visited the county in 1890, and has bred there since 1893 ; 

 Bonaparte's Gull is admitted on evidence not altogether 

 -satisfactory. 



In conclusion, a word should be said about the eight illustra- 

 tions, which we cannot consider satisfactory. Most of them are 

 unsuitable to a county avifauna, which should be provided, in 

 the first place, with illustrations to show the character of the 

 •country and the haunts of the typical species, and, secondly, 

 only with portraits of the typical species. Such illustrations as 

 that of a Snipe being shot (p. 144) seem altogether out of 

 place. We should rather, had it been necessary, have dispensed 

 with all the illustrations and been provided with a better map. 



BOOK OF THE MONTH. 



The Birds of Yorkshire, by T. H. Nelson, m.b.o.u., W. Eagle Clarke, 

 F.R.S.E., r.L.s., and F. Boyes. 2 vols. 899 pp. 164 plates. 

 (Brown & Sons.) 8vo, 25s. net ; 4to, 42s. net. 



