REVIEWS. 267 



find it out of date, but a comparison of the articles on the Lesser 

 Whitethroat, Nuthatch, Yellow Wagtail, Hawfinch, Cirl, 

 and Corn-Bunting, with those in the Second Edition of 

 Saunders' " Manual," will show that a considerable advance 

 has been made since 1899. Interesting notes on the breeding 

 of the White Wagtail and the Siskin are also given ; but it 

 is remarkable that there is still no definite record of the nesting 

 of the Twite, although it is now known to have bred in north 

 Devon. As a rule the author shows commendable caution 

 in admitting stragglers to his list, but the evidence on which 

 the Ortolan and Shore-Lark are included seems to us to be no 

 stronger than that on which the Snowy Ow\ and the Little 

 Owl are relegated to brackets. 



As might be expected, the articles on the Chough, Raven, 

 Buzzard, and Peregrine are of the most interesting nature. 

 But \\ hile not disputing the fact that the Raven is occasionally 

 guilty of the misdeeds attributed to it on page 179, the large 

 number of lambs which come to an untimely end on the Welsh 

 hillsides provide ample supplies of food in the early spring, 

 and we do not believe that the Raven will attack living animals 

 \\hile plenty of " braxy " lamb and mutton is available. In 

 the otherwise excellent account of the Buzzard we must take 

 exception to the statement on page 222 that it " rears two 

 broods in a year." This is obviously incorrect and at variance 

 with what is known of the habits of this bird. The late nests 

 which are occasionally met with are those of birds which have 

 lost their first clutch. 



A very remarkable instance of the breeding of the Wigeon 

 in an undoubtedly wild state, which appears to be well 

 authenticated, is recorded on page 283 ; and some interesting 

 notes on the breeding of the Dunlin on the moors of Denbigh 

 and Merioneth will be found on page 347. The creaking 

 (rather than " clanking ") noise made by the Mute Swan on 

 the wing (p. 270) is produced mechanically by the movements 

 of the pinions. 



Misprints and errata are very few, but we notice that 

 Willughby's name is mis-spelt (pp. xxvi., L., Li., etc.). Bombus 

 lapponicus (p. 128) is probably a slip of the pen for B. lapidarius. 

 The Bibliography might be more complete : we do not notice 

 any reference to Mr. O. V. Aplin's paper in the " Zoologist," 

 1905, p. 170, or to Professor Salter's articles in the " Zoologist " 

 for 1896, p. 24 ; 1898, p. 198 ; and 1900, p. 76, and we look in 

 vain for the name of H. Ecroyd Smith. 



The work is fully illustrated with photographs of typical 

 scenery, and contains a useful map. On the whole, we can 

 recommend this as a valuable addition to our long list of local 



